Rep. Obi Aguocha Laments Silence from Nigerian Leaders over Nnamdi Kanu’s Failing Health

ABUJA, Nigeria – October 8, 2025

A tense moment played out on the floor of Nigeria’s House of Representatives on recently when Hon. Obi Aguocha, member representing Ikwuano, Umuahia North and Umuahia South Federal Constituency of Abia State, raised concerns that his rights and privileges as a lawmaker had been violated following the government’s silence over his repeated letters seeking urgent medical intervention for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, his detained constituent.

Rising on a matter of privilege, Hon. Aguocha told the House that since August 26, 2025, he had written separate letters to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the President of Nigeria, but none of the letters had received a reply, despite evidence that they were been received.

“I wish to draw the attention of Mr Speaker and the House that on the 26th of August 2025, I wrote a letter to Mr Speaker of the House of Representatives, as well as a letter to the Attorney-General of the Federation, and a letter to Mr President, urging for urgent intervention regarding the deteriorating health condition of my constituent, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” he stated.

“Up until today, Mr Speaker, I have yet to receive any response from Mr Speaker, from Mr President, and from the Attorney-General.”

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been unlawfully detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) since his kidnap from Kenya in 2021 by the Nigerian government. Multiple Nigerian courts and international organizations have called for his release and for him to receive adequate medical care.

The Abia lawmaker further explained that three separate medical evaluations, including one by Kanu’s personal medical team and another by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) conducted under court supervision, all confirmed that the IPOB leader’s health had critically deteriorated, citing organ deficiencies and low potassium levels, placing him “on the verge of death.”

“At the instruction of the court, the NMA conducted their own assessment within eight days, and their findings aligned with those of his personal doctors, I quote the judge: ‘It is only a man who is alive and living that can stand trial,’” Aguocha said.

He stressed that Kanu, who has not been convicted of any crime in Nigeria, deserves the same constitutional protection and medical rights afforded to other detainees.

“Mr Speaker, this is not politics or any other thing, but a fundamental human right that should be ascribed to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” he added. “Most others in similar situations have been granted opportunities to even travel overseas for medical attention.”

However, the session took a confrontational turn when Speaker Tajudeen Abbas interrupted Aguocha’s presentation, questioning where exactly the lawmaker’s privilege had been breached.

Despite Aguocha’s insistence that the refusal to respond to his letters constituted a violation of his legislative rights, the Speaker ruled him out of order and shut down the debate, denying him the floor.

The development has sparked debate among observers who argue that Nigeria’s leadership continues to demonstrate selective concern for human rights.

Critics point out that the same government that publicly campaigns for the freedom of Palestinians from Israeli occupation has shown no remorse in its treatment of Biafrans, including the continued illegal detention of Nnamdi Kanu and the killing of unarmed civilians in the South-East under military operations.

Human rights groups have repeatedly called on the Nigerian authorities to respect both domestic court orders and international human rights standards, warning that the continued defiance of judicial and ethical obligations threatens the country’s credibility on the global stage.