Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has petitioned the World Medical Association (WMA) over alleged medical neglect while in the custody of Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS), warning that his health has reached a “life-threatening threshold.”
In a letter dated October 3, 2025, and signed on his behalf by his international counsel, Bruce Fein, Kanu accused the DSS of failing to provide adequate care despite his worsening medical condition. The petition, addressed to WMA President Dr. Jacqueline Kitulu, was also copied to the Federal High Court Registrar in Abuja, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
Kanu, who has been in DSS detention since his arrest in Kenya in 2021, said his prolonged solitary confinement and inconsistent medical treatment had triggered severe complications, including hypertension, organ strain, potassium deficiency, nosebleeds, fainting spells, chest pains, and tinnitus.
“Among the gravest threats to MNK’s survival today is tinnitus. It robs him of sleep, exacerbates hypertension, magnifies chest pain, and places him in immediate danger of stroke, collapse, or sudden death,” the letter stated.
The IPOB leader further alleged irregularities in his medical records and inconsistencies in test results under some DSS-appointed doctors, insisting that only the intervention of Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji, a renowned surgeon, had kept his condition stable.
He urged the WMA to press the NMA to secure the release of an independent medical assessment conducted on September 22, 2025, which he claimed confirmed multiple health risks and recommended nasal surgery. The Federal High Court had directed that the report be filed within four days, but Kanu warned that delays could “undermine the medical truth.”
The petition also called for protection of independent medical practitioners from “possible retaliation” and for a review of the conduct of all medical personnel involved in his treatment.
Kanu has remained in DSS custody for over four years without trial, a situation that has drawn criticism from rights groups and renewed scrutiny over detainee welfare under Nigeria’s security agencies.
The DSS has yet to issue an official response to the allegations.