•Incarcerated IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has alleged that the Department of State Services (DSS) abducted Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji, the personal physician to its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, in an attempt to suppress medical evidence relating to the detained separatist leader’s health and ongoing appeal.
The group claimed that Aghaji was later released following what it described as pressure mounted by Kanu’s legal team and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), reports The Guardian.
In a statement by IPOB’s spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, the group alleged that Aghaji, a cardio-thoracic surgeon, was arrested during a midnight raid on his residence in Enugu before being taken to Abuja and later Lagos, where he was detained.
The group commended the lawyers representing Kanu and the NMA for what it called their swift intervention, alleging that their actions compelled the DSS to release the physician.
Powerful said: “However, the fact that this distinguished medical icon, a man of global pedigree, could be abducted in the dead of night for simply telling the truth about our leader’s health condition is a national disgrace and a direct assault on the medical profession.”
IPOB further alleged that legal practitioners and medical professionals associated with Kanu’s case have routinely faced intimidation, illegal detention, blackmail, death threats and attempts to influence judicial proceedings.
The group also alleged that following the recusal of Justice Binta Nyako from Kanu’s case, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) discontinued a case involving members of her family, suggesting that the development reflected attempts to influence judicial outcomes.
At the centre of its allegations, IPOB claimed there were serious irregularities surrounding a medical examination allegedly ordered by Justice James Omotosho.
According to the group, the judge on October 26, 2025, directed the President of the Nigerian Medical Association to constitute a team of medical experts to examine Kanu and submit a report to the court.
However, IPOB alleged that no medical examination was conducted, no panel was constituted by the NMA President and Aghaji, who it identified as Kanu’s personal physician, was neither informed nor involved in the process.
The group further alleged that individuals claiming to represent the NMA President produced a medical report dated October 23, 2025, three days before the court allegedly ordered the examination.
Powerful alleged, describing the issue as central to Kanu’s pending appeal before the Court of Appeal.
The group further claimed that Aghaji’s alleged arrest was aimed at compelling him to alter or suppress his independent medical opinion regarding Kanu’s health.
IPOB also accused Justice Omotosho of convicting Kanu under what it described as a repealed law, characterising the judgment as “a judicial abomination.”
The separatist group argued that international intervention had become necessary, alleging that individuals connected with the appeal risked facing intimidation similar to what it claimed Aghaji experienced.
Powerful called on human rights organisations, as well as the governments of the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom, to scrutinise the court records, timelines and medical documents filed in the appeal.
According to IPOB, the records would reveal alleged inconsistencies surrounding the medical report and the legal proceedings that culminated in Kanu’s conviction.
The group maintained that it would continue its campaign until Kanu is unconditionally released.
