The House of Representatives experienced some level of tension on Tuesday, October 7, when the lawmaker representing the Umuahia North/Umuahia South/Ikwuano Federal Constituency of Abia State, Obinna Aguocha, clashed with the speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen.
The tension erupted when the Abia lawmaker attempted to draw the attention of his colleagues in the house to the worsening health condition of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Premium Timesreported that the temper started following the resumption of the plenary from the annual recess. Aguocha had raised a matter of urgent importance about the health condition of the detained secessionist, whom he described as his constituent, who has been in the State Security Services (SSS) custody since he was rearrested in June 2021.
During his presentation, Aguocha told the plenary that since August 26, he had written different letters to President
Bola Tinubu, the speaker and the attorney general of the federation, Lateef Fagbemi, urging them to immediately intervene in the failing health of IPOB leaders.
He told the lawmakers that a court had ordered an independent medical examination of the detained successionist, adding that all three reports, including the one that the court commissioned, confirmed the critical health condition of Kanu.
Kanu’s family recently denied a report that he admitted to inciting the public to attack security personnel. In a statement, the family described the reports as a misrepresentation of court proceedings and called for an immediate retraction.
Prince Emmanuel Kanu, speaking on behalf of the family, condemned the inaccurate reporting of Kanu’s ongoing trial. The family expressed concern that certain media outlets had misrepresented the court proceedings, publishing headlines that were misleading and did not reflect the reality of what transpired in court.
According to the family, the May 6, 2025, hearing at the Federal High Court in Abuja revealed inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case. An SSS witness being cross-examined admitted to being unaware of key elements of the charges and inconsistencies in the allegations relating to incitement.
The family stressed that this testimony should not be misconstrued as an admission of guilt by Kanu. They emphasised that Kanu did not admit to the allegations and that the witness’s responses highlighted the weaknesses in the prosecution’s case.
Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), the counsel to the federal government, made the appeal in his response to Kanu’s application.
Recall that Nnamdi Kanu, the embattled leader of the proscribed IPOB, is facing trial for terrorism related activities of the group.