The Federal High Court in Abuja has once again adjourned the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to October 16, 2025, pending a medical report from the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) on his health status.
Kanu’s special counsel, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, confirmed the development to SaharaReporters on Wednesday. He said the adjournment was granted to allow the court receive a formal medical assessment to determine whether the IPOB leader remains fit to stand trial.
“Again, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case has been adjourned to the 16th of October, 2025. The court wants the Nigerian Medical Association to submit a report on whether he is still fit to stand trial,” Ejimakor said.
Kanu appeared before the court earlier on Wednesday for the continuation of his long-running terrorism trial, which has drawn global attention since his controversial re-arrest and extraordinary rendition from Kenya in June 2021.
His lawyers, supporters, and several human rights groups have repeatedly claimed that his detention violates both court orders and international law, arguing that he should be released unconditionally.
Kanu, a British-Nigerian political activist, is facing charges of terrorism, treasonable felony, and incitement. The government accuses him of using his Radio Biafra platform to promote secession and incite violence across Nigeria’s South-East.
He was first arrested in 2015 and granted bail in 2017, but fled the country following a military invasion of his home in Abia State.
Four years later, he was forcibly returned to Nigeria, a move his legal team describes as a violation of international law.
In October 2022, the Court of Appeal discharged and acquitted him, ruling that his extradition was illegal.
However, the Federal Government appealed the decision, and in December 2023, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling, allowing his trial to resume.
Since then, Kanu’s legal team has raised concerns about his deteriorating health, alleging that he has been denied proper medical care and access to his lawyers at the Department of State Services (DSS) facility in Abuja.
Earlier this week, IPOB rejected a purported NMA medical report, alleging it was fabricated at the request of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) before the court’s official order for an independent medical examination.
In a statement signed by Barrister Chukwuma Benson Ihejiofor on behalf of IPOB’s Legal Advisory Directorate, the group described the report dated September 22, 2025 as “invalid, inadmissible, and ethically compromised.”
IPOB accused the NMA, the AGF, and the DSS of colluding to manipulate medical evidence and obstruct justice, insisting that the only credible medical assessment must come directly from the court’s appointed process.
The court’s latest order for the NMA to submit a fresh medical report indicates that Kanu’s health condition will play a decisive role in determining whether the trial can proceed on the next adjourned date.
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