DSS Detains Officer Over Abduction and Rape Allegations

The Department of State Services has moved to arrest one of its active personnel, Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi, following a harrowing series of allegations involving the abduction, defilement, and forced religious conversion of a young girl. The internal crackdown comes after a formal petition from a legal firm exposed a disturbing case of alleged institutional abuse that has reportedly spanned over two years. The secret police confirmed on Friday that Onyewuenyi is currently in custody as investigators dig into claims that he held the victim against her will within a government facility.

The scandal was brought to light by the Abuja-based law firm Gamji Lawchain, which represents the family of Walida Abdulhadi. According to the petition addressed to the Director-General of the DSS, Walida was allegedly snatched from the Hadejia area of Jigawa State when she was just sixteen years old. For over twenty-four months, her whereabouts remained a mystery, leaving her family in a state of perpetual agony. The lawyers claim the emotional devastation was so severe that Walida’s mother eventually succumbed to the psychological trauma and passed away while still searching for her daughter.

A sudden and shocking twist occurred on New Year’s Day when the suspect reportedly contacted the girl’s father, Abdulhadi Ibrahim. In a phone call that shattered years of silence, the officer allegedly informed the father that Walida had been under his roof all along. Even more startling was the revelation that the teenager had given birth to a child during her disappearance. The officer purportedly expressed a desire to formally marry the girl, despite the circumstances of her removal from her family home years prior.

Upon receiving the call, the family sent a representative to a DSS facility in Abuja to verify the claims. It was there they reportedly discovered that Walida had been living within a DSS residence for the duration of her absence. The legal petition further alleges that during her time in captivity, the girl was forcefully converted from Islam to Christianity without parental consent. The family also contends that as a minor, she was subjected to continuous sexual exploitation, which ultimately resulted in the pregnancy and subsequent childbirth mentioned by the officer.

The legal team has labeled the officer’s actions as “moral bankruptcy in uniform,” arguing that the suspect leveraged his position of authority to hide a minor from her guardians. They expressed outrage that a state agent tasked with national security could allegedly facilitate such a crime within the walls of a government installation. The firm has demanded not only the immediate prosecution of Onyewuenyi but also a comprehensive probe into the Karmajiji DSS facility to determine if other personnel were complicit in concealing the girl’s presence.

In a swift official response, the DSS Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Favour Dozie, confirmed that an investigation is actively underway. While the service initially moved to clarify that a person named “Ifeanyi Festus”—who had appeared in earlier reports—was not on their payroll, they explicitly identified Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi as an active staff member now under interrogation. The agency noted that the allegations of forceful conversion and unauthorized marriage are being treated with extreme seriousness by the high command.

The DSS spokesperson emphasized that the behavior attributed to Onyewuenyi is a direct violation of the agency’s internal regulations and the strict code of conduct expected of its operatives. The service has promised that the findings of the investigation will be made transparent to the public once concluded. This commitment to accountability comes at a time when public trust in security institutions is under intense scrutiny, with advocates calling for a clear message that no officer is above the law.

The case has ignited a fierce debate regarding the protection of minors and the vulnerability of citizens in the face of rogue state actors. Human rights groups are closely monitoring the situation, urging the DSS to ensure the safety and rehabilitation of Walida and her infant child. The family’s legal representatives remain adamant that the officer must face the full weight of the Nigerian legal system, particularly regarding the statutory rape of a minor who was legally incapable of consenting to a relationship.

As the investigation progresses, the focus remains on the structural failures that allowed a missing teenager to remain “hidden in plain sight” within a security residence for two years. For the family of Walida, the arrest of the officer is a bittersweet victory, coming too late for the mother who died of a broken heart. The outcome of this case is expected to serve as a litmus test for the DSS’s willingness to purge its ranks of individuals who misuse their power for personal and predatory ends.