DSS Moves To Prosecute Factional NANS President Over Bribery Allegation Against Seyi Tinubu

The Department of State Services (DSS) is set to arraign Atiku Abubakar Isah, the factional President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), over alleged illegal possession of firearms, following a controversial chain of events linked to bribery accusations involving Seyi Tinubu, son of Nigeria’s President.

Sources close to the matter revealed to SaharaReporters on Monday that the DSS intends to charge Isah to court after nearly two weeks in custody without formal arraignment—an action critics describe as politically motivated and designed to silence the student leader over his exposé on the alleged diversion of ₦71 billion earmarked for the newly introduced student loan scheme.

According to insiders, the charge being prepared against Isah stems from an incident at his inauguration ceremony in Abuja, where he was reportedly attacked by thugs linked to a rival NANS faction.

The DSS is alleged to have staged a photograph during this altercation, showing Isah holding a pistol said to have been planted by those who abducted him.

“They came and snapped him with the pistol they had arranged with his abductors while he was being attacked. Now, they want to use that image as evidence of illegal possession of firearms, ” one source told SaharaReporters.

Isah, who has been in DSS custody since 29 April, declared a hunger strike over the weekend, refusing both food and medication provided by the security agency. His protest, he claims, is in response to physical abuse and attempts to force a retraction of his allegations against Seyi Tinubu.

The DSS has yet to issue an official statement on the matter, but internal sources within the agency confirmed that the student leader had refused to eat since Sunday.

“He told the officers that he is no longer taking anything from us—no drugs, no food. He says all he wants now is to return home,” a DSS operative reportedly stated.

Isah’s continued detention has drawn criticism from student activists and civil society organisations, who view the development as part of a broader campaign to intimidate dissenters and cover up corruption within the administration’s education funding schemes.

Reports further allege that during his time in custody, Isah was beaten and coerced into writing a statement retracting claims that he was offered a ₦100 million bribe to step down for Ladoja Olusola, president of NANS.

“This entire saga reeks of abuse of power. Beating him and forcing a false narrative will not erase the facts about the missing ₦71 billion. If anything happens to him, the DSS must be held accountable,” a student leader from the South-West zone said under anonymity.

As of press time, efforts to reach DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya for official comments proved abortive.

Sodiq Yusuf

Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.

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