Nnamdi Kanu, the self-declared leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has filed a new lawsuit against the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly depriving him of his basic human rights.
Kanu is seeking an order from the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the DSS to provide him with food, medical care, and clothing of his choice.
Maxwell Okpara, a legal practitioner, filed the FHC/ABJ/CS1585/2021 suit on his behalf.
Kanu has requested a court injunction against DSS on December 13, 2021, allowing him to arrange food for himself at his own expense.
He asserted that, despite the fact that he is facing a criminal trial, the law presumes him innocent unless proven guilty.
The defendant asserted solitary confinement in DSS custody and requested that the court order his transfer to the Kuje Correctional Center in Abuja.
The detainee claimed that despite a repeated court order, he is still being denied access to quality medical care in a 10-paragraph affidavit filed in support of the lawsuit and testified to by one Emmanuel Kanu.
He said that the medical people caring for him are quacks who are unable of dealing with his health problems.
Kanu further claimed that the defendants’ actions during his solitary incarceration were inhumane, demeaning, and a violation of Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution.
As a result, he requested the court to rule that the respondents were required to follow the stated provisions of Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution when performing their duties.
The detainee also sought the court to declare that he was entitled to exercise his right to human dignity, which is protected by Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution.
Kanu asked the court, among other things, to order the respondents to immediately enable him to appoint legal and medical professionals of his choosing from any government hospital to assess his medical records.
Kanu petitioned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, to assign the matter for hearing during the court’s annual vacation in an affidavit of urgency filed with the suit.
However, no date has been set for the lawsuit’s hearing.
