Addressing journalists on Friday shortly after his court session at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Kanu, who has been held by the Department of State Services (DSS) since his controversial re-arrest and extradition from Kenya in June 2021, said that he is suffering from congestive heart failure and other severe medical complications.
The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has raised serious concerns over his deteriorating health, accusing the Nigerian government of deliberately keeping him in custody until he dies.
Addressing journalists on Friday shortly after his court session at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Kanu, who has been held by the Department of State Services (DSS) since his controversial re-arrest and extradition from Kenya in June 2021, said that he is suffering from congestive heart failure and other severe medical complications.
"I have congestive heart failure. From the medication, you can tell. They are basically trying to keep me alive so that when they calculate that I'm about to give up, that my heart is about to pack up, they will then say I should go so that when I go outside, I will die outside. That is what they are trying to do," the IPOB leader said.
He lamented that the treatment he is receiving in DSS custody has not improved his condition.
"The medication they have been giving to me is not working. If it is working, why should I have lumps under my armpits?" he asked.
Kanu's health has been a growing concern for his family, lawyers, and human rights organisations.
His lead counsel, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, and others in his legal team have repeatedly told the court that the IPOB leader requires urgent medical attention beyond what the DSS clinic can provide.
In previous court sessions, the defence argued that Kanu's continued detention under harsh conditions has worsened his cardiac issues and aggravated his hypertension.
Reports from his legal representatives also indicated that he suffers from recurring chest pain, dizziness, and difficulty sleeping due to his deteriorating health.
Despite multiple court orders directing that Kanu be granted access to independent medical care, the Nigerian authorities have allegedly failed to comply fully.
Ejimakor and IPOB have repeatedly warned that the government would be held responsible should anything happen to Kanu.
The Court of Appeal had in October 2022 discharged and acquitted Kanu of terrorism-related charges, ruling that his extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria was unlawful.
However, the Supreme Court later set aside the Appellate Court judgment in December 2023, allowing his trial to resume at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Since then, Kanu's lawyers have maintained that his prosecution is politically motivated and that the government is disregarding his fundamental rights.
The IPOB leader himself has consistently accused the Nigerian authorities of persecution rather than prosecution.
Civil society groups, including Amnesty International and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, have called for his unconditional release, citing violations of his rights and the worsening state of his health.
As his trial drags on with his defence that commenced on Friday, October 24, 2025, concerns are mounting that Kanu's life may be in danger if he remains in DSS custody without specialised medical intervention.
This is more worrisome, as despite the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) listing a series of illnesses Kanu is suffering from in its report, the professional medical body still told the court that Kanu is fit to stand trial.
Kanu's lawyers, IPOB, and human rights organisations have faulted the NMA's medical report, with his lawyer publicly accusing the body of compromise, alleging that the NMA never conducted any test on Kanu but produced a fake medical report.