Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Enugu
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has condemned the Department of State Services (DSS) for the arrest, detention, and intimidation of Professor Emeritus, Martin Aghaji, the personal physician of Nnamdi Kanu.
Aghaji, an internationally acclaimed cardiothoracic surgeon, renowned academic, distinguished statesman, was reportedly taken away from his Enugu residence in the early hours of Friday, July 3, 2027 by DSS operatives.
He was later released on Monday after spending 72 hours at the DSS facility in Lagos, following the intervention of his professional association and the legal team of the IPOB leader.
In a statement by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB acknowledged Aghaji’s release “with cautious relief”, noting that the medical icon was being harassed and intimidated over the medical report he issued on Kanu’s health during his trial.
According to IPOB, Aghaji, who was one of Nigeria’s foremost medical icons, was “seized in a midnight raid at his Enugu residence, dragged to Abuja and then Lagos, before being dumped after intense pressure from lawyers and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).”
The Biafra self-determination movement thanked Kanu’s lawyers “for their prompt and courageous intervention in raising the alarm” while commending the NMA “for its swift and principled stand.
“Their intervention forced the DSS to blink. However, the fact that this distinguished medical icon — a man of global pedigree — could be abducted in the dead of night for simply telling the truth about our leader’s health condition is a national disgrace and a direct assault on the medical profession,” IPOB said.
It noted that “what Professor Aghaji just endured is the daily reality for every legal and medical practitioner associated with (Kanu’s) high-profile case.”