By Legal Linkz | October 8, 2025 | Abuja
The Federal High Court in Abuja has once again adjourned the trial of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to October 16, 2025, following a directive that the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) submit a comprehensive medical report to ascertain whether Kanu remains fit to stand trial.
Confirming the development to SaharaReporters on Wednesday, Kanu’s Special Counsel, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, said the adjournment became necessary after the court demanded an official medical evaluation from the NMA before proceeding further with the trial.
“Again, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case has been adjourned to the 16th of October, 2025. Reason: The Court wants the Nigerian Medical Association to submit a report on whether Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is still fit to stand trial,” Ejimakor stated.
The adjournment adds yet another layer to Kanu’s protracted legal battle that has spanned nearly a decade and drawn both national and international attention since his extraordinary rendition to Nigeria in June 2021.
Kanu’s Long Road to Trial
Nnamdi Kanu, a British-Nigerian political activist and leader of IPOB—a movement advocating for the independence of the South-East under the proposed state of Biafra—was first arrested in 2015 on charges including treasonable felony.
He was granted bail in April 2017 but fled Nigeria after a military raid on his Abia State home later that year. In June 2021, Kanu was intercepted and brought back to Nigeria under controversial circumstances his lawyers have consistently described as “extraordinary rendition” from Kenya.
The Nigerian Government subsequently amended the charges against him multiple times, raising them to 15 counts involving terrorism, incitement, and alleged use of broadcasts to undermine national security.
In October 2022, the Court of Appeal struck out several charges and discharged Kanu of the remaining counts. However, the Federal Government appealed to the Supreme Court, which in December 2023 overturned the appellate decision, thereby allowing the trial to resume at the Federal High Court.
Health Concerns and Legal Controversy
Since the resumption of proceedings, Kanu’s legal team has raised repeated alarms about his deteriorating health, limited access to medical care, and alleged violation of previous court orders concerning his detention.
The issue of his health took center stage again this week after IPOB publicly rejected a purported NMA medical report, claiming it was ethically compromised and judicially invalid.
In a statement signed by Barrister Chukwuma Benson Ihejiofor on behalf of the IPOB Legal Advisory Directorate, the group alleged that the report dated September 22, 2025, was produced before the court’s order authorising an independent medical examination and was allegedly initiated by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
“The purported NMA report is invalid, inadmissible, and ethically compromised. It violates judicial authority and medical ethics,” the statement read. IPOB further accused the NMA, AGF, and DSS of colluding to “manipulate evidence and obstruct justice.”
Court’s Directive
In light of these developments, the court on Wednesday demanded an independent and updated report directly from the NMA, thereby postponing the matter to October 16, 2025. The court is expected to review the findings before determining whether Kanu is medically and mentally fit to continue with his terrorism trial.
Observers say this development may further prolong a case that has already seen numerous adjournments and sparked international concern over human rights violations, fair trial standards, and judicial independence in Nigeria.
Kanu’s supporters, as well as several human rights organizations, have continued to call for his release, citing what they describe as prolonged detention without due process and disregard for court rulings.
As of press time, neither the Nigerian Medical Association nor the Office of the Attorney-General had issued an official statement in response to the court’s latest directive.
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