Abuja: The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a directive to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to establish a panel of medical experts to evaluate the health status of Nnamdi Kanu. This decision was handed down by Justice James Omotosho, who instructed the association to submit the report within eight days of the ruling.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Justice Omotosho specified that the NMA's president is to form an investigative committee comprising eight to ten members. This panel is tasked with inspecting the Department of State Services (DSS) facility to determine its adequacy in providing necessary care to Kanu. The committee is also to assess whether Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), requires urgent medical attention at the National Hospital if the DSS facility is deemed insufficient.
Justice Omotosho mandated that the chief medical director of Abuja National Hospital, or an appointed representative, must be part of this panel since Kanu has chosen this hospital for treatment. The report from the NMA panel, once prepared, is to be signed by both the chairman and secretary of the committee.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that this ruling followed arguments presented by the Federal Government's counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, and Kanu's lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN. Ikpeazu emphasized that there was documentary evidence supporting their motion, highlighting a medical report by Professor of Medicine, Austin Agaji, which stressed Kanu's need for transfer to the National Hospital. However, Awomolo contested this submission, citing a counter affidavit filed earlier, arguing against the necessity of such a transfer, emphasizing national security concerns and the efficiency of the DSS's compliance with prior court orders.
Awomolo also noted that the DSS had facilitated Kanu's access to medical facilities of his choice and argued that the claims regarding Kanu's health were exaggerated. He mentioned that the DSS had already set up a seven-member panel of experts from the NMA to independently evaluate Kanu's health, urging the court to allow this panel to proceed.
Ikpeazu expressed willingness for the formation of an independent NMA panel if ordered by the court, which led to Justice Omotosho's directive for the establishment of the panel.