The embattled leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has said there is a conspiracy for him to die in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Kanu also said some government officials are profiting from the insecurity ubiquitous in the South-East geopolitical zone.
He made allegations before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court Abuja, on Tuesday, March 19, after he was denied bail by the court.
The IPOB leader, who has been in the custody of the DSS since his extradition in June 2021, and is facing charges bordering on treasonable felony, told the court that he is being treated poorly by the secret police.
Earlier, counsel for Kanu, Aloy Ejimakor, asked that his client be transferred to the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Kanu then requested to address the court and was granted permission by Justice Nyako.
Kanu told the court that he is suffering from Cognitive Heart Disease. He pulled off his shirt in the courtroom to show the judge his ribs and chest, as evidence of the treatment he is receiving in the custody of the DSS.
The IPOB leader said the doctors treating him within the DSS facility don’t have the drugs to take care of him. He alleged that the DSS is patching him up so he doesn’t die in custody.
“There is a conspiracy for me to die in DSS detention” he stated.
Kanu wondered why he was brought back to court when the Supreme Court had said he did not jump bail, saying he wished to go to Kuje prison to get proper treatment “as demanded by the law as the DSS has refused” him access to quality healthcare.
But Justice Nyako said she will keep him where she deems fit, as Kuje was out of it. She said that some suspects remanded in Kuje had escaped.
A visibly upset Kanu continued that he can’t go into trial without proper medical attention. He asked for an alternative, even if it’s house arrest, and alleged that his trial was politically motivated.
The judge subsequently adjourned the case to April 17, 2024 for commencement of trial.
The IPOB leader, who spoke after the court proceedings, said peace will be restored in the South-East if he is released from custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
“I suspect that some people in government are complicit. They are making money with this insecurity. They know if Nnamdi Kanu is outside, in two minutes, this nonsense will stop.
“Anybody involved in any form of violence in the South-East in the name of IPOB, let me come out of this nonsense, this mess, only two minutes, I guarantee you, and there will be peace in the South-East,” Kanu told reporters.
