Nnamdi Kanu Files $380,000 Lawsuit Against Nigerian Medical Association Over Falsified Medical Report
Kanu is seeking a judicial declaration invalidating the report, A formal public retraction by the NMA, A fresh, independent medical examination, ₦550 million in damages for psychological, physical, and legal harm.
Abuja, Nigeria – November 16, 2025
The illegally detained IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has filed a $380,000 (₦550 million) lawsuit against the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and ten medical practitioners, accusing them of issuing a falsified medical report that was used to deny him bail and certify him fit to stand trial.
Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been held by the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 2021, despite rulings by local and international courts that discharged him of all charges and called for his release.
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was seized in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria in June 2021, an action described as unlawful “extraordinary rendition” in a ruling by a Kenyan court, several courts in Nigeria, including the Abuja Court of Appeal.
In 2022, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention also determined that his transfer from Kenya violated international law and called for his immediate release.
A Federal High Court in Abuja had on September 26 directed the NMA to assemble an independent medical panel to physically examine Kanu in DSS custody and submit a report on his health condition.
Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, had criticized the NMA’s presentation as “an ambush” and deeply questionable intervention.
Ejimakor said the supposed medical evaluation ordered by the court on September 26 was never carried out.
Instead, he revealed, that the NMA’s report was based on an informal meeting organized by the Department of State Services (DSS) eight days earlier, on September 18, however it was fraudulently dated “the 13th of October.”
The report concluded that Kanu’s health challenges were “not life-threatening” and that he was fit to stand trial, a position adopted hurriedly by the court despite massive oppositions.
Kanu’s legal team insist the medical findings are fraudulent and unethical, accusing the NMA of collusion with the Attorney-General of the Federation and the DSS to influence the legal process.
The lawsuit insists that the report was prepared in violation of professional medical standards, without laboratory tests or any hands-on examination, thereby breaching doctor-patient ethics and court directives.
A senior member of the Association, Dr. Adefolaseye Adebomi Adebayo, had upon the report, confronted the NMA National President, Prof. Bala Mohammed Audu, demanding clarification on the legal and ethical basis for such a declaration with no response so far.
Kanu is seeking a judicial declaration invalidating the report, A formal public retraction by the NMA, A fresh, independent medical examination, ₦550 million in damages for psychological, physical, and legal harm.
Most Nigerians has rejected the medical assessment, calling it “a forged instrument” deployed to undermine Kanu’s right to a fair defence and to mask his deteriorating health condition.
People argues that denying the defence access to the original medical documents amounts to a violation of due process, raising concerns about judicial transparency in one of Nigeria’s most politically sensitive trials.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly raised concerns about Kanu’s illegal detention and health, with his legal team asserting that he requires specialized medical treatment not available in DSS custody.
The DSS maintains it provides adequate care despite no Nigerian leader uses the medical facility, including the DSS bosses.
The lawsuit is expected to intensify pressure on the Nigerian government ahead of future court appearances, as Kanu is being forced to open his defence in the ongoing trial by the presiding judge Justice Omotosho.
Despite assuring the judge his willingness to open his defence if he could point him to a law in the Nigerian constitution that he allegedly broke which the judge has refused to provide him with.
Legal analysts note that the outcome of the suit against NMA could set a precedent for Medical independence in politically charged trials, Judicial oversight of security agencies, Professional accountability within Nigerian medical institutions.
NMA MEMBER QUESTIONS ASSOCIATION’S ROLE IN DECLARING NNAMDI KANU FIT FOR TRIAL
COURT DRAMA: Justice Omotosho Under Fire as Nnamdi Kanu Challenges Legality of His Trial
