ABUJA, Nigeria – Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has raised the alarm over a possible tuberculosis outbreak within the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja.
Kanu’s warning came after he claimed that numerous detainees at the facility had tested positive for the disease.
Through his special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu urged the Nigerian Federal Government to alert the World Health Organization (WHO) and Red Cross Society for immediate intervention to prevent a widespread epidemic.
I visited with #MNK today in the company of Prince Emma Kanu & one of his other Lawyers. Onyendu directed that I extend his profound condolences to Mrs Rachel Nwosu on the demise of her gallant husband. He disclosed that numerous detainees at the DSS have now tested positive for…
— aloy ejimakor (@AloyEjimakor) April 20, 2023
Ejimakor shared this information on his Twitter account after visiting Kanu on Thursday, April 20, 2023.
During the visit, Ejimakor expressed concern for Kanu’s deteriorating health, noting that he observed “noticeable discomfort, malaise & general ill health” in the IPOB leader. He further stated that Kanu’s health condition was not receiving the required care.
Kanu’s brother, in an interview, also expressed concern over the reported tuberculosis cases at the DSS facility, questioning if it was a deliberate ploy to infect his brother with the disease. He called for urgent action to prevent an epidemic of infectious disease.
It is worth noting that Kanu had previously raised the alarm about tuberculosis in the DSS facility, claiming that an inmate suffering from the disease was relocated close to his cell block. The inmate, he said, was arrested in Ohafia in September 2022 and later transferred to the DSS headquarters.
As of the time this article was published, the DSS has not confirmed the validity of Kanu’s claims.
