IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu Might Die In DSS Detention – Mike Ozekhome Tells Supreme Court

Senior lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has told the Supreme Court that the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, might die in the detention of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Ozekhome, who is Kanu’s senior counsel, expressed the fear over his client’s state of health on Thursday during the hearing of the IPOB leader’s case, where he told the apex court that Kanu was currently very sick in DSS custody and required an immediate surgical operation.

Ozekhome asked the apex court to rule in favour of the transfer of Kanu from DSS custody to Kuje Correctional Centre to enable him to begin his treatment.

BBC News Pidgin quoted Ozekhome as saying, “My Lords, Nnamdi Kanu is sick, he has been approved for surgery but they have refused to release him for treatment.

“We are pleading for him to be transferred from DSS custody to Kuje correctional centre so that he can begin treatment like others.

“He’s getting really sick; I’m scared he may die in the custody of DSS. Dead bodies are not prosecuted.”

But responding to Ozekhome’s prayer, the Supreme Court told the lawyer that God would keep Kanu alive and that he would not die in detention, adding that even if it proceeded to hear the appeal, there was no space within its calendar to write and deliver the verdict within the 90-day deadline.

The apex court said that “Nnamdi Kanu will not die in detention. God will keep him alive and his blood won’t be in your hands,” adding that the court would hear all the motions in the case on the resumption of hearing on September 14, 2023.