From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Alloy Ejimakor, yesterday, were at loggerheads over who is in charge of recommending Kanu’s personal physician to attend to his ill health in the custody of the Department for State Services (DSS).
While IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, earlier announced restrictions on the lawyer from visiting Kanu and forbade him from going to the DSS custody with his own physician, Ejimakor insisted he had the pro-Biafra group leader’s consent to visit him in the custody.
Ejimakor, in a statement to buttress his stand on the issue, said: “First, let me make it crystal clear that, according to the court order on visitations with Kanu, it’s Kanu alone that possesses the sole power and discretion to choose whoever he desires visitation from.
“No other person can choose or impose visitors on Kanu, not even the DSS, the Nigerian government, the courts, the IPOB and Kanu’s lawyers or relatives. Therefore, this Edoziem and his ilk have no place in this matter of who is approved to visit Kanu, be it his lawyers, his doctors or his relatives.
“Second, it’s also Kanu alone that has the power to invite a medical doctor of his personal choice to have a visitation with him. He had done it in the past – in August 2022 to my knowledge, and even as the visitation was mysteriously blocked at the last minute, my efforts and follow-up with the doctor generated the very first and only independent medical opinion that is being used today by all his lawyers and others in advancing his cases and pressing for the urgent medical attention he required since the rendition.
“For avoidance of doubt, it was Kanu who directly assigned this task to me as part of my complex brief as his special counsel and as part of the all-round efforts to garner the urgent independent medical care that he requires.
“There’s nothing in this critical task that made it necessary that this matter of health which has been urgent and herculean must be exclusive to just one person and that my humble self and Kanu’s family should be excluded from matters concerning his health.
“Third, the same publications suggested that this Edoziem unwittingly admitted that he and his ilk were part of the grand conspiracy that had blocked the two doctors chosen by Kanu to visit him on June 6, just because I was the lawyer that had – as part of my brief and instructions – prepared the letter of introduction the DSS had demanded the visitation at the last and critical minute.
“This is shocking and ominous to say the least but leaving that aside for the moment, let me sound this note of warning: When you block independent medical doctors from visiting Kanu even when you knew that it was him that personally choose those doctors and invited them, you must know that you are deliberately endangering his life. Think about it.”