Favour Michael Kanu, wife of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has appealed to Justice James Omotosho of the Abuja High Court not to allow her husband die while in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
In an open letter addressed to the presiding judge on Thursday, Mrs. Kanu expressed deep concern over her husband’s deteriorating health and faulted the medical report submitted by a Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) panel, which claimed Kanu was not suffering from any life-threatening condition.
She described the report as misleading and unethical, saying her husband’s health had worsened due to inhumane treatment and lack of proper medical care at the DSS facility.
“The deteriorating health condition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is primarily a result of the torture and inhumane treatment he suffered when he was illegally brought back from Kenya,” she wrote. “He was dumped in a dark, poorly ventilated cell in the DSS dungeon, with no access to medical treatment or contact with his loved ones.”
Mrs. Kanu urged the court to permit her husband’s transfer to another medical facility in Abuja, arguing that continued confinement in the DSS clinic could endanger his life.
She reminded Justice Omotosho that when he took over the case earlier this year, he had promised an accelerated hearing, expressing disappointment over what she described as “indecisiveness and unnecessary delays” in the proceedings.
“When your Lordship took over Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case in March 2025, I believed justice was finally at hand,” the letter continued. “But with recent developments, I’m beginning to wonder if those expectations were misplaced. The situation now looks like a deliberate plan to keep stalling the case while my husband suffers in detention.”
She also criticized the presentation of the NMA’s report, claiming it did not follow proper medical ethics and may have been influenced by the DSS.
According to her, “The NMA never conducted or submitted a proper assessment as mandated. Instead, the DSS produced a disjointed report, which was presented unethically in court.”
Mrs. Kanu further questioned why the court would deny her husband the opportunity to receive adequate treatment when even top government officials seek medical care abroad.
“Your Lordship knows the state of Nigeria’s medical system—why then deny Mazi Nnamdi Kanu access to a decent hospital within Abuja?” she asked. “In one of the hearings, you stated that MNK must be alive and healthy to stand trial. What changed? Does his life not matter anymore?”
She concluded by appealing to the judge’s conscience, warning that her husband’s health was failing rapidly and that justice must not come at the cost of his life.
