I’m Subjected To Mental Torture In DSS Custody – Nnamdi Kanu

A fresh application in court has IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu saying he has “subjected to mental and psychological torture” by the DSS.

He said it would be in the interest of justice for the court to order his transfer to the Nigerian Correctional Service Centre, which he described as “an impartial facility that had no interest whatsoever” in the outcome of his trial.

An affidavit he attached in support of the application, read, “That this charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015 came up on June 29, 2021 and the applicant was brought before the court in chains, handcuffs and leg-cuffs, blindfolded, and was consequently remanded in the custody of the Department of State Service, even though there was no legal representation for the defendant, and the matter was, therefore, adjourned to the 26th day of July 2021 for trial.

“That the counsel to the applicant was not served with any hearing notice before the appearance of the applicant in court, neither were they aware that any action was scheduled to take place in the criminal charge No. FCH/ABJ/CR/383/2015 on that June 29, 2021.

“That on June 30, 2021, the applicant’s solicitors formally wrote to the Department of State Service to allow the applicant’s solicitors have access to the applicant. A copy of the said letter is hereby attached and marked as Exhibit MNK 1.

“That on July 2, 2021, at about 12:32pm, the Department of State Service called me to inform me that our request to visit the applicant has been approved and that I should come by 4:00 pm to see defendant.

“That on the said July 2, 2021 at about 5:00pm, at the DSS Headquarters, in Abuja, the applicant informed me of the following facts, which I verily believed to be accurate and correct as follows: That he was kidnapped and/or abducted by Kenyan security forces on June 19, 2021, specifically at Nairobi Airport.

“That he was detained by the personnel of the Kenyan Police Force for eight days, and was throughout this period of detention subjected to all forms of inhuman treatment, brutal torture, causing grave and severe heart problem that almost took his life. That he was detained in an unconventional facility, not necessarily a police detention center in Kenya.

“That throughout this detention in Kenya, he was never allowed access to his relatives before he was handed over to their Nigerian security counterparts, who smuggled him into Nigeria in clear violation of his rights.

That since he was smuggled into this country on June 27, 2021, he has been kept in solitary confinement without access to his family members, relatives, wife, cousins, and children, except his lawyer, who only visits after they must secure the approval and endorsement of the Director-General of the Department of State Service, which approval are not usually granted as a matter of course.

“That he is still being subjected to mental and psychological torture by his custodians, on account of the conditions of his solitary confinement. That an ECG examination was carried out on the defendant, and it was discovered that the defendant’s heart had been enlarged by more than 13 per cent, posing a serious threat and danger to defendant’s life.

“That there is a need for the defendant to have access to his medical doctors to avert the danger looming against the life of the defendant. That the health personnel attending to the defendant in the custody of the Department of State Service is not adequate considering the circumstances of the defendant’s health condition.

“That the defendant requires the services of his medical experts as his medical records issued by the Chief Cardiologist of Nairobi Hospital who has the defendant’s medical records, mainly, before the arrest/abduction of the applicant shows a debilitating medical condition. Copies of these medical records showing the applicant’s subsisting health condition are hereby attached and marked as Exhibit MNK.

“That if the health condition of the defendant is not addressed most promptly, the defendant may die in custody, even before his trial. It is essential that the defendant’s medical experts/consultants be allowed to carry out proper, thorough, and independent medical examinations of the defendant to save the defendant’s life.