Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has filed a fresh suit before the high court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), accusing the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and its president, Bala Audi, of submitting a fabricated medical report that declared him fit to stand trial. Kanu is asking the court to order a new medical examination, withdraw the disputed report, and award N50 billion in damages for alleged violation of his fundamental rights.

The suit follows the October 16 presentation of a report by a panel of experts convened by the NMA president, in compliance with a September 26 directive issued by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court. The panel?s report stated that Kanu was medically fit, contradicting earlier claims that his health had sharply deteriorated while in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). Kanu had cited liver and pancreatic complications, a lump under his armpit, and critically low potassium levels as reasons he required urgent treatment outside DSS facilities.

In his new filing, submitted through Maxwell Opara, one of his former lawyers, Kanu argues that the NMA team never visited or examined him before producing the report. He insists that the document read in open court was forged, prepared without any form of consultation, and deliberately crafted to mislead the judiciary. The defendants listed in the suit include the NMA, its president, and the ten medical experts who authored the report

According to the court documents, Kanu alleges that the medical panel?s report dated September 23, 2025, amounted to ?gross professional misconduct, perjury, and reckless disregard for judicial authority.? He claims the false findings influenced the Federal High Court?s decision to deny him access to adequate medical treatment and bail, thereby worsening his physical condition and subjecting him to emotional distress and reputational harm.

The IPOB leader maintains that the defendants? actions violate his constitutional rights, particularly the rights to dignity and fair hearing under Sections 34 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution. His lawyers argue that the alleged fabrication has prolonged his suffering and poses the risk of irreversible health damage while he remains in DSS custody.

Kanu is seeking several declarations and orders, including a judicial pronouncement that the conduct of the NMA and its panel breached his constitutional protections. He also seeks a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from issuing or relying on any false or unverified reports about his health. Additionally, he is asking the court to compel the NMA to conduct a fresh, independent examination by specialists unconnected to the disputed panel.

The IPOB leader is demanding N50 billion in general damages for the alleged injury to his health and reputation, and an additional N500 million in exemplary damages for what he describes as malicious fabrication and abuse of professional authority. (BusinessDay)

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