Abia Assembly Urges Tinubu to Order Nnamdi Kanu’s Release as IPOB Leader Files N50bn Suit Over Medical Report
The Abia State House of Assembly has taken a formal step toward securing the release of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, by writing to President Bola Tinubu to request his unconditional freedom.
The move follows a resolution passed on November 10, in which lawmakers described Kanu’s extended detention as an issue of urgent public significance. The motion, led by Deputy Speaker Austin Meregini, called on the President to exercise his constitutional powers by directing the Attorney-General of the Federation to enter a nolle prosequi in line with Section 174(c) of the 1999 Constitution.
Lawmakers argued that such a gesture would align with the administration’s recent decisions on presidential pardons and could serve as a step toward peace-building in the South-East. In an open letter signed by all 24 members, the Assembly outlined key moments in Kanu’s years-long legal ordeal—his 2015 arrest, two-year detention, subsequent bail, and eventual departure from Nigeria after the military operation at his home.
The House also referenced Kanu’s 2021 transfer from Kenya to Nigeria, which it described as a breach of due process and international norms. It urged Tinubu to consider his release as a political act capable of fostering reconciliation and reducing regional tension.
While the Abia Assembly presses for executive intervention, Kanu has opened a new legal front. The IPOB leader has filed a N50 billion suit against the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), accusing the organisation of issuing a misleading medical report used in his ongoing terrorism trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Filed on November 12 and made public on Saturday, the suit seeks damages and an order mandating an independent medical examination by specialists with no ties to the defendants. Those listed in the case include NMA President Bala Audi and members of the medical team behind the disputed report, among them Benjamin Egbon, Prof. Emem Abraham, Ajibare Adeola, Temitope Farombi, Sunday Owolade, Mustapha Salihu, Yarima Yusuf, Nwosu Ekeoma and Benjamin Olowojebutu.
The controversy stems from the report cited last month by Justice James Omotosho, who ruled that Kanu was medically fit to continue standing trial.
Kanu has been in the custody of the State Security Service since June 2021, facing terrorism-related charges tied to his agitation for a separate Biafran state. The Federal Government accuses him of using broadcasts and directives from abroad to instigate violence and killings in the South-East.
As both the political appeal and the new legal action unfold, Kanu’s case continues to sit at the centre of national debates over justice, security, regional grievances and the limits of dissent.
