The Department of State Services (DSS) has refuted claims by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu regarding a decline in his health condition, which he cited as justification for a transfer request to the National Hospital in Abuja.
Challenging the allegations, the DSS argued that the medical concerns raised by Kanu’s consultant were overstated and intended to mislead the public by painting an inaccurate picture of his health.
In a counter affidavit containing 37 paragraphs, the agency opposed Kanu’s request for relocation to an external medical facility, asserting that its own medical center is among the most advanced in Nigeria, staffed with competent professionals capable of addressing his medical needs.
Dr. Mohammed Nasir, a medical officer with the DSS, affirmed in the affidavit that Kanu is being held under humane conditions, receiving meals of his choosing, and enjoying a secure and comfortable environment.
The DSS also noted that, upon his request, various medical specialists from institutions such as the National Hospital and the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital were brought in to treat him.
The agency maintained that Kanu’s health remains stable and dismissed any suggestion of serious illness.
According to the affidavit, Kanu first received treatment in July 2021 from Dr. Onye Achillihu of Heartland Cardiovascular Consultants Limited.
The DSS expressed confusion over the involvement of Prof. Martin Aghaji, a retired academic from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, questioning how he concluded that Kanu’s condition had worsened. The agency pointed out that excluding its medical team from Aghaji’s evaluation cast serious doubts on the legitimacy of his findings.
When Kanu entered DSS custody in 2021, he was diagnosed with long-standing hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, low potassium levels, and frequent nosebleeds. Specialists were brought in to manage these conditions, with Dr. Abiodun Olugbenga of the Federal Medical Centre initially leading the team before being replaced at Kanu’s request by Dr. Achillihu, and later by Prof. Aghaji in 2025.
Upon assuming responsibility for Kanu’s care, Aghaji allegedly overhauled his treatment plan without consulting DSS medical staff, sparking internal concerns which, according to the agency, were ignored.
A formal letter was reportedly sent to Aghaji warning him that his approach could lead to the DSS being blamed for any adverse medical incidents this, too, was allegedly disregarded.
On August 24, 2025, Aghaji is said to have independently issued a letter stating that Kanu’s continued detention without proper access to medical care was inappropriate.
However, the DSS maintained that Aghaji had never previously criticized its medical facilities or staff prior to writing that letter.
According to the agency, his statements were speculative, alarmist, and emotionally driven—traits they claim are not fitting of a medical professional of his standing.
The DSS therefore argued against admitting Kanu to a private ward in a public hospital, stating that the proposed National Hospital lacks the necessary security measures to guarantee his safety.
The agency concluded by insisting that Kanu’s reported health conditions have been exaggerated and can be adequately managed within the DSS’s own medical facility.
The DSS stated that Kanu had previously jumped bail, resulting in the court revoking his bail conditions. The agency added that relocating him to the National Hospital would require extensive security measures, which could disrupt other patients and their families.
Kanu, through his legal team led by Kanu Godwin Agabi SAN, filed a motion seeking to be transferred from DSS custody to the National Hospital in Abuja.
This motion was based on a letter and recommendations from Prof. Aghaji, which claimed that Kanu’s health was deteriorating.
In the motion, registered under case number FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, Kanu requested the court to order his transfer from DSS detention to the National Hospital.
He stated that medical examinations revealed health issues affecting his pancreas, liver, and a growing lump under his armpit, along with dangerously low potassium levels.
His younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu claimed on his behalf that “The doctors have recommended that he be moved to the National Hospital as an interim measure to afford him medical attention and forestall further decline.
“The applicant’s health is seriously deteriorating considering the nature of his confinement, thereby making more pressing, the need to bring this application and have the same heard by a vacation judge,” Agabi said.
He also alleged that a letter from doctors addressed to the DSS Director-General advising Kanu’s transfer had received no response.
Because of the urgency, the motion was filed as a preventive step to stop any further decline in Kanu’s health, even as efforts continued to treat him.
However, on Monday, a Federal High Court in Abuja declined to hear the transfer motion.
The presiding judge, Justice Musa Liman, explained that his authorization to act as a vacation judge ended on Monday, leaving him without the jurisdiction to consider the new application.
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