The Department of State Services (DSS), also known as the State Security Service (SSS), has returned the embattled President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Atiku Abubakar Isah, to detention despite his compliance with bail conditions.
Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna of the Magistrate Court, Zone 6, Abuja, granted Isah bail after his arraignment on Tuesday. However, the DSS took him back into custody, citing the pending endorsement of the bail documents by the magistrate.
“The Chief Magistrate ordered the release of Abubakar Atiku Isah after fulfilling bail conditions, but the DSS returned him to detention while awaiting the Magistrate’s signature,” a source is quoted as saying.
It was learnt that after Isah’s bail conditions were fulfilled, his lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, and human rights activist Omoyele Sowore drove to the DSS office to get him, but after a long delay, they accepted the release order but refused to release him.
“After his bail conditions were fulfilled, the lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, and I drove to get him from the DSS, but after an hour of delay, they kept asking the lawyers for documents that were not meant for the DSS,” the activist said.
“They accepted the release order but refused to release him to us.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the DSS arraigned Isah at the Magistrate Court in Zone 6, Abuja, without informing his legal team.
Isah, who was reportedly assaulted and stripped naked by a rival NANS faction, allegedly supported by Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, was subsequently detained and brought before the court under contentious circumstances.
A source within the DSS confirmed the development to stating, “They just took him to Magistrate Court Zone 6. Isah is presently sitting in court, but they did not inform his lawyer.”
As of the time of filing this report, the full details of the charges against Atiku Abubakar Isah remain unclear. However, it was gathered that one of the accusations levelled against him by the Department of State Services (DSS) is that he unlawfully declared himself President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
Sources earlier informed SaharaReporters that the order for Isah’s arrest and detention originated from Olusola Ladoja, who claims to be NANS President and is backed by a faction allegedly supported by Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu. According to the sources, Ladoja wrote a formal petition to the DSS requesting Isah’s arrest.