Barely 96 hours after landing in New Delhi, India, for medical treatment, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, has
Barely 96 hours after landing in New Delhi, India, for medical treatment, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, has discharged himself from the Medenta Hospital in India and is expected to arrive in Nigeria on Friday (today) morning. El-Zakzaky was flown to Medenta Hospital in New Delhi, India alongside his wife, Zenaat, on Monday for medical treatment for an undisclosed ailment. He had however complained about the situation in India, saying he was caged and not allowed any freedom.
The Chairman of Free El-Zakzaky Committee, Abubakar Abdurahman had said on Wednesday that the IMN leader might be brought back to Nigeria if the condition of the hospital did not improve. But it was, however, learnt that the plane conveying the Shi’ites’ leader and his wife, would make a stopover in Addis Ababa before proceeding to Nigeria. It was gathered that the IMN leader would return to the DSS custody where he and his wife were being held since 2015.
Musa in a statement blamed alleged interference by the Federal Government for the scuttling of the IMN leader’s planned treatment. It said, “Following lack of breakthrough in the impasse that ensued in the treatment in New Delhi of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, it is now confirmed that the Sheikh is on his way back to Abuja. The Nigerian government’s interference and scuttling of the whole process rather than supervision as ordered by the court is the direct cause of the impasse. The government never wanted the medical leave in the first place and did whatever to stop it by all means possible.”
The Federal Government had earlier refuted El-Zakzaky’s allegations, stating that he attempted to violate the conditions of his treatment by making unreasonable demands, including insisting on lodging in a five-star hotel in New Delhi with free access to all manner of visitors. The Federal Government also came out and accused El-Zakzaky of “becoming uncontrollable” in India.
However, the Nigerian Medical Association has said El-Zakzaky can access perfect medical treatment in Nigeria for his ailment instead of going to India in the first instance. The National President, NMA , Dr Francis Faduyile said that although it was the rights of anybody to seek medical treatment wherever they wished, El-Zakzaky did not look like someone suffering from an ailment that was beyond what could be handled in Nigeria. He added that even if the IMN leader had to seek medical treatment in India, he had to submit himself to the rule of the hospital treating him.
Faduyile says in many cases, people travel abroad for medical check-ups or treatment to show-off their wealth and not necessarily because they could not find a solution to their ailment at home. He advised government to come up with a policy that would ensure that public money would not be used to fund the trip of any public officer travelling abroad for treatment. He added, “Many of these people travel abroad to seek medical treatment or check-up out of display of class status or wealth. But the NMA as a professional body has advocated that if government officials have to seek medical treatment abroad, they should not use public fund.
