IPOB said this in a statement issued by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, saying that the government after refusing to release Kanu as ordered by the Court of Appeal, was using the DSS operatives to eliminate him through poisoning, drug abuse and starvation.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has raised the alarm over its leader, Nnamdi Kanu’s state of health, alleging that the Nigerian government has decided to systematically kill him by poisoning his food in the Department of State Service (DSS) custody.
IPOB said this in a statement issued by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, saying that the government after refusing to release Kanu as ordered by the Court of Appeal, was using the DSS operatives to eliminate him through poisoning, drug abuse and starvation.
According to the Biafran group, “The secret police wants to eliminate Mazi Nnamdi KANU through a silent and systematic process of gradual starvation of giving him only bread and water twice a day and drug abuse by providing him insufficient medication for his known ailment while in their solitary confinement facility in Abuja.
“Their intention is to experiment and replicate the starvation of 1967-1970 on the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra. For the First time we have seen Nnamdi Kanu complaining about his life. He complained very sadly that he is dying slowly. He also complained bitterly that the DSS has subjected him to drug abuse as medication required for two weeks are provided for only 8 days.”
IPOB said that Kanu complained that he had not been allowed to see any doctor since the second week of December 2022 and that the DSS refused to take him to the doctor in spite of his deteriorating health.
According to Powerful, “Our leader complained that if he lies down whatever he ate comes out from his mouth. He also said his intestines are bringing odour from his mouth. He says he is afraid he may not survive it but God Almighty Chukwu Okike Abiama will help him to survive it. He also complained about poor feeding which is worsening his health.
“Most times he is fed with only bread morning and night as DSS said feeding him is getting too expensive. It's on record that DSS refused N1,000,000 that IPOB leadership gave them to provide adequate medication and feeding to our leader. It's obvious that our leader has been poisoned by DSS and allowed to die gradually.
“Irrespective of his current ordeal our leader expressed confidence in the Biafran Struggle and charged the members of this noble movement to remain resolute and never engage in any form of criminality.”
IPOB stated that it is astonished that all the Igbo (South-East) leaders are silent over Kanu’s continued “illegal” detention after the court judgment that discharged and acquitted him.
The group said that “All Nigerians, especially lawyers should know that a bad legal precedent is being set as anybody can be detained even without a charge citing his case as judicial precedent.
“We are reminding the Institute for Economics and Peace to know that if anything untoward happens to our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu they should prepare to accept more dollars for their 2023 reports because we shall no longer care. We cannot afford to allow the Nigerian Government to systematically eliminate our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is illegally detained against court verdicts.
“The world is keeping mute now but we are going to make them talk when the time comes. Igbo politicians who are trying to trade Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for election will also say had we known. IPOB never said that their shambolic selection process they called election will not hold in our territory but if they allow anything happens to our leader then let everyone prepare for unavoidable consequences. It is obvious that the DSS has poisoned our leader and allowed him to die gradually.”
“Allowing the Nigerian Government to eliminate our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a non-violent freedom fighter will definitely come with unimaginable consequences. Only if the Nigeria Government will understand the consequences that will follow should our leader die in their custody, they will save this country by timely and unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” IPOB added.