Nation
DSS arraigns NANS president Atiku Isah, grants N5 million bail
The Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday arraigned the embattled President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Atiku Abubakar Isah, before a Magistrate Court in Abuja, charging him with incitement and impersonation.
Isah, who appeared in court clad in black attire, was granted bail in the sum of ₦5 million with one surety in like sum.
His counsel, human rights lawyer Marshal Abubakar of the Falana & Falana Chambers, disclosed that the DSS charged Isah with “inciting public disturbance” and “impersonating a public officer.” The charges stem from allegations that Isah incited students to disrupt a lawful student gathering and falsely presented himself as the NANS president during a disputed assembly.
The DSS also alleged that Isah interrupted a meeting of individuals identified as the “elected leadership” of NANS, and continued to parade himself as president despite not participating in the latest NANS convention that produced new leadership.
The arraignment follows a controversial arrest that has drawn criticism from rights advocates and family members, who accused the DSS of subjecting Isah to inhumane treatment while in custody.
Reports earlier published by Business Hallmark indicated that Isah was brutalised by a rival NANS faction allegedly enjoying the support of President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu. Sources claim the order for his arrest was initiated by Olusola Ladoja, who also lays claim to the NANS presidency and is reportedly backed by the same faction.
According to insiders, Ladoja submitted a petition to the DSS accusing Isah of impersonation and breaching the NANS constitution by continuing to act as president after allegedly being unseated at the last convention. In a statement dated April 30, 2025, Ladoja described Isah’s conduct as unlawful and warned that it must be met with legal consequences.
Family members of Isah have, however, decried the DSS’s treatment of the student leader, alleging that he was denied food, medication, and basic humane conditions during his detention.
“He looked frail, hungry, and unkempt when we saw him,” one family member said. “He hadn’t eaten all day and was physically weak. The DSS officers treated him more like a hardened criminal than a student leader.”
Another family source alleged that DSS officials only engaged with Isah in the presence of visitors, often asking him to write down requests for food or basic needs—requests that reportedly went unfulfilled once visits ended.
Despite the disturbing accounts of his detention, the court granted Isah bail, marking a key development in a case that underscores growing concerns over factionalism in NANS and the alleged politicisation of student unionism in Nigeria.