DSS To Sue Channels TV Guest Over Torture Allegations

 

The Department of State Services (DSS) has written to Khalid Aminu, an engineer and former #EndBadGovernance protester, demanding a retraction of his allegations that he was tortured while in DSS custody.

Aminu, who was arrested during the August #EndBadGovernance protests in Kano, appeared on a Channels Television programme, where he described what he called inhumane treatment by DSS operatives.

Speaking during the programme, Aminu said, “What I went through, what we went through was inhuman, I can’t even begin to tell you everything.

“On the 3rd (of August), they arrested us at NEPA Roundabout. There and then they started beating us, boots, kicks, and all that. Then they pushed all of us into their Hilux, some into their SUVs, and then we went down to the Command.

“When we got there, the first thing I received was a strong cane, like an armoured cable that they used. If I pull up my chest, you will see. They started beating me, I was flat down and they were blasting me with all forms of sticks, armoured cables, everything you can think of,” Aminu told the television station.

In a letter dated November 25, 2024, the DSS, through its legal counsel, Mohammed Sani Ndanusa, SAN, denied Aminu’s claims, describing them as an attempt to tarnish the agency’s reputation.

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The letter, titled “Re: Allegation of Torture By Department of State Security Officials While Undertaking Custody in Kaduna,” read in part:

“Your above representation has caused our client a lot of embarrassment both within and outside Nigeria.”

The letter further described Aminu’s claims as “a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the Department of State Security Services, as well as reducing our client’s hard-earned name within their professional realm.”

The DSS demanded that Aminu retract his statements and issue an apology, published in three widely-read newspapers.

The letter warned: “Failure to comply, we shall be compelled… to initiate legal proceedings against you.”

Aminu’s allegations have been met with skepticism by other protesters who were reportedly detained in the same DSS facility in Kaduna.

Speaking to newsmen in Kaduna, some of the protesters stated that they did not experience torture while in DSS custody, casting doubt on Aminu’s claims.