It was far from business as usual on Tuesday inside the green chamber of the National Assembly as a heated face-off broke out between Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Rep. Obi Aguocha from Abia State.
The Abia lawmaker had raised a point of privilege, drawing attention to a letter he sent back in August to the Speaker, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and President Bola Tinubu. The letter was a call for urgent medical intervention for Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who has been in custody since June 2021.
According to Aguocha, the letter has been completely ignored.
“The Nigerian Medical Association has carried out another health check, and it shows that Nnamdi Kanu now suffers from organ deficiencies and dangerously low potassium levels,” he said. “He is literally on the brink of death.”
He stressed that Kanu, who is not yet convicted of any crime in Nigeria, deserves basic human rights under the Nigerian Constitution, including access to life-saving medical care.
But rather than prompt action or solidarity, Aguocha’s intervention sparked a sharp rebuke from Speaker Abbas.
The Speaker questioned Aguocha’s decision to raise the issue under “point of privilege,” arguing that the matter did not concern the office of the Speaker directly and should not be brought up during plenary.
“You have access to my office,” Abbas said. “This is not the platform for this conversation. You know where to find me.”
Undeterred, Aguocha insisted that he had already followed the proper channels – visiting the Speaker’s office – and emphasized that this was no ordinary matter.
“This is a matter of life and death, Mr Speaker,” he declared.
Still, the Speaker shut down the debate, ruling Aguocha out of order, leaving the chamber divided and visibly tense.
Nnamdi Kanu has been in DSS detention since he was controversially extradited from Kenya in June 2021. He faces multiple charges, including terrorism, and has remained in solitary detention ever since.
Kanu’s legal team and family have repeatedly raised alarm over his deteriorating health, with recent reports claiming he now suffers multiple organ issues. Several attempts to get court approval for overseas medical treatment have failed.
In the South-East, voices calling for his release have only grown louder, with many viewing the situation as both a political flashpoint and a humanitarian crisis.
