The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has raised a fresh alarm over his deteriorating health condition in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), warning that he is in danger of sudden death if urgent medical attention is not provided.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kanu listed a series of serious health conditions he is currently battling with, accusing the DSS of neglect and medical malpractice.
Among the ailments he highlighted, Kanu described tinnitus — a constant internal ringing sound in his ears — and sleep deprivation as some of the “gravest threats” to his survival. He added that the condition worsens his hypertension, increases the risk of stroke, and could lead to sudden collapse or death.
“The incessant chirping in my ears is more than a nuisance: It robs me of sleep, sometimes making rest completely impossible,” he wrote. “It magnifies chest pain, fainting risks, and psychological strain. It undermines my body’s natural capacity to heal.”
Kanu said DSS doctors had once considered draining fluid from his inner ear to treat the tinnitus but later abandoned the plan due to the risk of permanent hearing loss. Since then, he claims no serious effort has been made to manage the condition.
The IPOB leader also listed other medical issues he is facing, including diseases affecting his liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder, prostate, and white matter in the brain. He further said he is also suffering from sleep apnea, a condition that causes repeated breathing interruptions during sleep.
According to Kanu, these conditions, combined with sleep deprivation, organ strain, and unstable potassium levels, have left him at high risk of a medical emergency.
Kanu accused the DSS’s lead medical officer, Dr. Nasiru Mohammed, of falsifying his medical test results, especially concerning his potassium levels.
“From the moment he assumed control, Dr. Nasiru Mohammed began falsifying my test results, recording normal potassium levels when in reality they were dangerously low,” he said.
He questioned why a potassium-boosting drug, Eplerenone, was still being prescribed if his potassium levels were truly normal. He alleged that under Dr. Mohammed’s care, his condition worsened, with continued nosebleeds, fainting episodes, severe chest pains, and swelling of the feet.
Despite over 50 blood tests being conducted in DSS custody, Kanu said he has seen no improvement in his health.
Kanu noted that his personal physician of several years, Dr. Cfine, had initially been barred from seeing him and was allegedly intimidated into silence by the DSS. He said it took the intervention of respected surgeon Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji to gain access to proper medical attention.
According to Kanu, Professor Aghaji’s involvement helped stabilise some of his symptoms. Under the joint care of Dr. Cfine and Professor Aghaji, his potassium levels increased slightly, and some symptoms such as fainting, nosebleeds, and headaches began to reduce.
However, he insisted that the core problem — tinnitus — remains untreated and continues to make his life “unbearable.”
“It is no exaggeration to say that without Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji’s intervention, my health would have deteriorated beyond recovery,” he wrote.
Despite this, Kanu alleged that both Professor Aghaji and Dr. Cfine are now being subjected to the same pattern of intimidation used by the DSS to control access to proper medical care.
The letter is seen as an urgent plea for help and a call for independent medical review of his condition by the NMA and relevant authorities.
Kanu, who has been in DSS custody since his arrest in 2021, is facing charges related to treason and terrorism, stemming from his leadership of IPOB — a separatist group seeking an independent state of Biafra in Nigeria’s South-East.
Human rights groups and some political leaders have consistently called for his release on health and humanitarian grounds, especially following court rulings that declared his continued detention as unlawful. However, the Federal Government has so far refused to release him, citing national security concerns.
The Nigerian Medical Association is yet to respond publicly to the letter.
