Give El-Zakzaky, wife access to full medical care, court tells prison comptroller

The Kaduna state high court has ordered the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), formerly known as Nigerian Prison Service, to allow Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), and Zeenat, his wife, to have access to full medical care.

Gideon Kurada, the presiding judge, gave the order on Monday after the comptroller of the Kaduna Correctional Service Centre appeared before the court.

The judge had ordered the comptroller to appear in order to explain why he refused to allow physicians attend to the IMN leader and his wife in the facility as directed.

On February 6, while adjourning the case till February 24 and 25 for them to appear in court and take their plea, the judge ordered that they should be granted access to medical care.

On Monday, Marshall Abubakar, one of the counsels of El-Zakzaky, said the comptroller appeared in court and gave reasons for refusing to allow the physicians access to his clients.

He said the court had renewed the order to the centre to allow the two defendants full access to all necessary services they need for them to be fit to appear and take their plea at the next adjourned date.

El-Zakzaky and his wife are being prosecuted by the Kaduna state government for alleged culpable homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of the public peace.

In November, while still in custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), El-Zakzaky’s family had alleged that they paid millions as ransom just to get medication across to him.

He was also flown to India in August for medical care but abruptly returned and accused the federal government of disallowing him from getting treated.