The House of Representatives will this week debate a motion seeking urgent medical intervention for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mr Nnamdi Kanu.
The resolution of the House followed an intervention during Tuesday’s plenary by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who in reaction to a point of order raised on the subject matter by the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency, Abia State, Obi Aguocha, notified the House that the matter will be presented for deliberation at a plenary session this week.
Aguocha, while raising the point of order, argued that he’s yet to get a response to the letter he wrote to House leadership and the Federal Government on the need to medically attend to “Kanu’s deteriorating.”
Kanu was arrested in Kenya in 2021 and brought back to Nigeria to face a terrorism trial.
The IPOB leader was first arrested on October 14, 2015, on an 11-count charge bordering on terrorism, treasonable felony, among others. He has remained in the custody of the Department of State Services since then.
At Tuesday’s plenary, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, urged Aguocha to step down his motion for another presentation, stressing that he came under the wrong House rules.
Intervening, Kalu, while noting that the subject matter presented is important, assured the Speaker that the motion will be presented properly before the House in the course of the week.
Kalu said,
“Mr Speaker, I’m also from Abia State. On the issue that is being raised by my colleague, we will present it before the House properly in the course of the week.
“We will come properly before the House so that a proper hearing will be given to it. I beg that you give us the audience maybe tomorrow (Wednesday) or the day after.”
Responding, Speaker Abbas said,
“No problem, it’s just the procedure that I was challenging, not the substance of the issue. We will be willing and ready to give you all the time to present it.”
