BREAKING: Stripped, Starved, Silenced: DSS Drags NANS President to Court Without His Lawyers
The embattled President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Atiku Abubakar Isah, was on Tuesday quietly arraigned at a Magistrate Court in Zone 6, Abuja, under controversial circumstances that have sparked outrage.
The arraignment, conducted by the Department of State Services (DSS), reportedly took place without notifying Isah’s legal representatives, leaving his defense team blindsided.
A source within the DSS confirmed the development to SaharaReporters, stating, “They just took him to Magistrate Court Zone 6. Isah is presently sitting in court, but they did not inform his lawyer.”
The exact charges filed against the student leader remain unclear at this time. Efforts to reach his legal team have so far been unsuccessful.
The secret court appearance comes on the heels of explosive allegations that the DSS has subjected Isah to inhumane treatment while in custody — including starvation, denial of medical care, and physical abuse.
Family members and close associates told SaharaReporters that Isah has been held under degrading conditions. “He looks rough, weak, and hungry. He said he thinks he’s falling ill due to the harsh treatment,” one family source said.
According to reports, the directive to arrest Isah originated from Olusola Ladoja, a rival faction leader who claims to be the legitimate NANS President. Ladoja is allegedly backed by Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, raising further political concerns around the student leadership crisis.
Ladoja had accused Isah of impersonation, claiming that he continued to parade himself as NANS President despite not participating in the association’s last convention.
But family sources insist that beyond legal disputes, Isah is being victimised, starved, and denied basic human rights in DSS custody.
“He only gets the chance to speak with DSS officers during family visits,” a source revealed. “We saw him begging an officer for food during one visit. They asked him to write his request down, but after we left, nothing changed.”
The source added that despite repeated assurances that Isah would be released soon, he remains detained, malnourished, and unwell.
The DSS has not issued an official statement regarding the arraignment or the welfare of the detained NANS president, fueling further suspicion that the matter is deeply entangled in political power struggles within Nigeria’s student leadership.
The case has amplified growing concerns over the politicisation of student unionism, human rights abuses, and the alleged use of state security agencies to silence dissent.
