BREAKING: DSS Refuses To Free Detained NANS President Isah Despite Fulfilling Bail Conditions, Presenting Abuja Chief Magistrate's Release Order

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 familiar with the matter revealed to SaharaReporters.

SaharaReporters 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 SaharaReporters, 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.

In a statement issued on April 30, 2025, Ladoja accused Isah of continuing to parade himself as NANS President despite not participating in the most recent convention that produced new leadership. He described Isah’s actions as impersonation and a violation of the association’s constitution, insisting such conduct should attract full legal and moral consequences.

Speaking to SaharaReporters, several family members alleged that DSS operatives have been treating Isah like a criminal, even though no formal charges have been filed against him. One relative claimed that Isah was being denied proper food and subjected to degrading treatment. When family members were allowed to see him, they said he appeared unkempt, hungry, and physically frail.

He said he had not eaten all day.

Another source added that Isah was only allowed to speak to DSS officials whenever his family visited.

The source revealed that during family visits, it was the only time Isah was able to speak with the officers. According to the family, they witnessed him pleading with one of the officers for something to eat while they were present.

The officers instructed him to put his request in writing, but after the family departed, Isah was returned to his cell and his request was ignored.

The family also raised concerns that Isah appeared to be falling ill as a result of the harsh conditions and the lack of medical care.

The source said, "They are not giving him proper food. They are hurting him there. They are treating him like a prisoner. Isah is hungry, and they haven’t given him anything to eat. They’ve been physically abusing him. When you see him, you’ll pity him — he looks rough.

"He only gets the chance to speak to an official whenever his family visits. That’s the only opportunity he has. During those visits, he is often seen begging a DSS officer to get him something to eat. They tell him to write it down in the presence of his family.

"However, after he writes it down and the family leaves, they take him back to his cell, and he still doesn’t receive the things he requested. When we got there, he hadn’t eaten anything since morning. He said, ‘I think I’m developing an illness.’

"Meanwhile, they keep telling the family not to worry — that Isah will be released soon — yet he remains in detention, without food or medication."