By Safiyat Muhammed | Abuja, Nigeria
The Department of State Services (DSS) has come under serious scrutiny following allegations of inhumane treatment of the embattled President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Atiku Abubakar Isah. Isah, who has been in detention for over a month, is reportedly being denied food, medication, and proper care by the secret police.
Sources from within the DSS revealed to SaharaReporters that the order for Isah’s arrest originated from Olusola Ladoja, who is allegedly backed by a rival NANS faction reportedly supported by Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Ladoja is said to have written a formal letter to the DSS, accusing Isah of impersonation after allegedly not participating in the most recent NANS convention.
Family members who visited the detained student leader said he appeared weak, hungry, and visibly distressed. “He hadn’t eaten all day. He looked rough, sick, and was pleading with the DSS officers for food in our presence,” one source said. Despite promising to fulfil his written requests, DSS officials reportedly returned him to his cell without providing assistance after each visit.
“They’re treating him like a hardened criminal,” said another family member. “There are no charges against him, yet he’s suffering in that cell. It’s like they’re trying to break him.”
Isah’s ordeal has drawn widespread outrage, especially after earlier reports claimed that he was abducted, stripped naked, and beaten in the presence of the Managing Director of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). Isah had earlier alleged that he was offered a bribe of ₦100 million by Seyi Tinubu to step down from his position, which he refused.
Despite repeated reassurances from the DSS that he would soon be released, Isah remains in custody without formal charges. His family and human rights advocates are demanding his immediate release and an independent investigation into the alleged abuse.
The ongoing NANS leadership crisis, now entangled with high-level political interests, continues to raise questions about the weaponisation of security agencies in student union politics.
The Bureau Newspaper will continue to monitor developments on this critical issue.