NBA Demands Justice in DSS Officer Abduction Scandal

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dutse branch, has joined the growing chorus of voices demanding immediate and uncompromised justice in the case of a Department of State Services (DSS) officer, Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi. The officer stands accused of orchestrating a harrowing campaign of abduction, sexual assault, and forced religious conversion involving a minor, Walida Abdullahi. The legal body has characterized the allegations as a chilling manifestation of impunity and a catastrophic failure of institutional oversight.

The details of the case, which have sent shockwaves through the country’s security and legal communities, suggest that Miss Abdullahi was spirited away when she was only sixteen years old. For more than two years, her family in Jigawa State lived in a state of agonizing uncertainty, launching exhaustive but fruitless searches for their daughter. The NBA noted with gravity that this prolonged period of psychological torture is believed to have directly contributed to the untimely death of the victim’s mother, who passed away without knowing her child’s fate.

The silence was finally broken in January 2026, when Onyewuenyi reportedly made a startling phone call to the girl’s father, Abdulhadi Ibrahim. In a display of what the NBA describes as “crass barbarism,” the officer allegedly admitted to having the girl in his custody for the duration of her disappearance. Rather than expressing remorse, he reportedly directed the grieving father to travel to Abuja to facilitate a marriage between the officer and the teenager, who had already given birth to a child while in captivity.

Following a court order issued on January 7, 2026, which directed security agencies to act, the NBA Dutse branch has declared its intention to serve as a watchdog over the judicial process. A statement released by the association’s Publicity Secretary, A.B. Umar, emphasized that the legal community is closely monitoring compliance with the arrest and investigation orders. The association insists that the gravity of the offences—which include the rape of a minor and unlawful detention—demands a response that transcends mere internal disciplinary measures.

The NBA has highlighted that the suspect allegedly used his position within the nation’s premier domestic intelligence agency to facilitate and conceal these crimes. According to the association, holding a minor against her will and forcing a change in her religious identity while under the protection of a government residence represents a “gross abuse of office.” They argue that such actions do not only destroy the life of a young girl but also erode the public’s fragile trust in state security institutions.

The legal body’s intervention follows the formal arrest of Onyewuenyi by the DSS high command, a move prompted by a scathing petition from the Abuja-based law firm, Gamji Lawchain. The NBA has lauded the initial steps taken by the authorities but warns against any attempt to “sweep the matter under the rug.” They are calling for an impartial and transparent probe that identifies not only the primary suspect but any other personnel who may have aided or abetted the concealment of the victim for over two years.

Public outrage has intensified as more details emerge regarding the victim’s ordeal. The narrative of a child being hidden “in plain sight” within a security facility has sparked a national conversation about the lack of internal checks within the DSS. The NBA maintains that the case is a litmus test for the Nigerian justice system, particularly concerning the protection of vulnerable minors from predatory state actors.

In its communiqué, the NBA Dutse branch urged the public to remain calm while the investigation unfolds, but they were firm in their commitment to seeing the case to its logical conclusion. They stated that the goal is to ensure that justice is not only served but is visibly seen to be served for Miss Walida and her family. The association believes that only a swift and public prosecution can begin to repair the damage done to the family and the reputation of the Nigerian state.

As the suspect remains in custody and the victim begins a long journey toward rehabilitation, the eyes of the nation remain fixed on the authorities in Abuja. The NBA has pledged to provide legal support where necessary to ensure that the statutory rights of the victim are upheld throughout the trial. For a family that has already lost a mother to the shadows of this crisis, the hope for justice remains the only path toward any form of closure.