From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The end might not be at sight at the brickbats thrown at each other by the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) and Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Alloy Ejimakor over who is in charge of recommending his personal physician to attend to his ill health at the custody of the Department for State Services (DSS).
While the spokesperson of IPOB,Emma Powerful had earlier announced restrictions on the lawyer from visiting Kanu and forbidden him from going to the DSS custody with his own physician, Ejimakor has insisted that he has the pro Biafra group leader’s consent to visit him in the custody.
Ejimakor in a statement to butress his stand on the issue said “My attention has been drawn to a defamatory Press Release presently in active publication and circulation, signed and distributed by one Chika Edoziem, purporting to be Leader of IPOB Department of State, stating that he has banned me from visiting my Client, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at the DSS where he is being detained extrajudicially and unconstitutionally.
“Additionally, in the same Press Release, the said Chika Edoziem stated that he has banned me from taking independent Doctors to the DSS to visit Mazi Nnamdi Nnamdi Kanu for the purpose of making an independent assessment of his present health care needs.
“First, let me make it crystal clear that, according to the Court order on visitations with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, it’s Mazi Nnamdi Kanu alone that possesses the sole power and discretion to choose whoever he desires visitation from.
“No other person can choose or impose visitors on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, not even the DSS, the Nigerian government, the Courts, the IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s Lawyers or relatives. Therefore, this Chika Edoziem and his ilk have no place in this matter of who is approved to visit Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, be it his lawyers, his doctors or his relatives.
“Second, it’s also Mazi Nnamdi Kanu alone that has the power to invite a medical Doctor of his personal choice to have a visitation with him. He had done it in the past – in August 2022 to me knowledge, and even as the visitation was mysteriously blocked at the last minute, my efforts and follow-up with the Doctor generated the very first and only independent medical opinion that is being used today by all his Lawyers and others in advancing his cases and pressing for the urgent medical attention he required since the rendition”. Ejimakor said
“For avoidance of doubt, it was Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who directly assigned this task to me as part of my complex Brief as his Special Counsel and as part of the all-round efforts to garner the urgent independent medical care that he requires.
“There’s nothing in this critical task that made it necessary that this matter of health which has been urgent and herculean must be exclusive to just one person and that my humble self and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s family should be excluded from matters concerning his health.
“Third, the same publications suggested that this Chika Edoziem unwittingly admitted that he and his ilk were part of the grand conspiracy that had blocked the two Doctors chosen by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to visit him on 6th June 2023, just because I was the Lawyer that had – as part of my Brief and Instructions – prepared the Letter of Introduction the DSS had demanded for the visitation at the last and critical minute.
“This is shocking and ominous to say the least but leaving that aside for the moment, let me sound this note of warning: When you block independent Medical Doctors from visiting Mazi Nnamdi Kanu even when you knew that it was him that personally choose those Doctors and invited them, you must know that you are deliberately endangering his life. Think about it.
More so, it is pertinent to drum it home that it is inherently evil for anyone to use the life-and-death matter of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s health to settle phantom scores with his family or any of his Lawyers.
“Finally, the highly publicized and sensationalized statements by this Chika Edoziem and his ilk that my humble self, the Kanu family and the two Doctors that were blocked on 6th June constitute danger to the life, health and safety of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been noted in stone and will be dealt with at the forum and place of my choosing.
In the meantime, I am dealing with the private threats issuing against my person and family on account of such grave accusation”. Ejimakor said.