The family of Atiku Abubakar Isah, the detained factional President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has raised alarm over his continued detention by the Department of State Services (DSS), claiming he is being held incommunicado and denied access to both legal counsel and relatives.
Speaking exclusively with SaharaReporters on Friday, distraught family members accused the DSS of acting under the influence of Seyi Tinubu, son of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The family expressed frustration over the refusal of the security agency to arrest or investigate individuals who publicly admitted to assaulting the student leader with machetes and leaving him for dead.
“Our son has been abducted, stripped naked, and beaten to a pulp by known individuals who now boast freely on social media that nothing will happen to them because Tinubu is President,” a family member told SaharaReporters.
“They used machetes on him. The evidence is everywhere—his injuries, the photos. But what is more heartbreaking is that since his abduction, we’ve had no access to him. His lawyers can’t reach him. Even we, his family, don’t know where he is or his state.”
According to a source familiar with the situation, Atiku is undergoing psychological and emotional torture while in custody.
“The world should know that Atiku is being denied access to lawyers and relatives,” the source said.
“The DSS is clearly working under political instructions, and everything points to Seyi Tinubu’s influence. This is not just unlawful; it is inhumane,” the source said.
The family further lamented that while their son remains in secret detention, his assailants are celebrating impunity.
“Those who beat him and left him for dead are walking around freely. They’re even mocking the system on social media, saying nothing will happen to them under Tinubu’s presidency,” a relative told SaharaReporters.
“Is this justice? Is the DSS now a tool for suppressing victims and shielding political thugs?”
The family thanked Nigerians, particularly former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and Labour Party’s Peter Obi for demanding justice for the embattled student leader.
“We are truly grateful for the support of well-meaning Nigerians who have stood with us. But we are begging President Bola Tinubu, Seyi Tinubu, and the DSS—please release our son. Atiku has done nothing wrong. Would the President sit and watch his own son suffer such brutal treatment?” the family added.
“We believe that everyone, no matter their power, will one day stand before God. For the sake of justice and humanity, release Atiku Abubakar Isah now.”
Previously, SaharaReporters reported that the DSS had detained Atiku Isah for more than a week after he was reportedly assaulted and taken into custody during a violent incident at a student leadership event in Abuja.
Atiku was attacked last Tuesday during the official inauguration of the new NANS leadership, an event attended by prominent political figures, including former Kano State Governor Senator Ibrahim Shekarau and former Kogi State Governor Idris Wada, both of whom were also reportedly harassed during the chaos.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Atiku was beaten by a faction of NANS backed by Seyi Tinubu, the son of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The attack was reportedly carried out by loyalists of a rival NANS faction led by Olusola Ladoja, prompting the DSS to detain Atiku and take him to their clinic on Airport Road in Abuja.
“Despite the beating meted out to him by Ladoja and Seyi’s thugs, the DSS still holds him in custody as if he has committed a crime,” the source said.
“He has since regained his strength, but they refuse to release him to go home and rest.”
Another source familiar with the matter further said that the DSS had been pressurising Atiku to make statements under duress.
“They are pressuring him to write things that are not true. Since last week, he has not been released or allowed to see his family, who are deeply concerned about his health and well-being,” the source added.
While Atiku remains in custody, no known arrests have been made regarding the attack.
The source expressed frustration that those responsible for the violence have not been held accountable.
“We thought they would release him by Wednesday, but they kept him. Meanwhile, the people who attacked him are walking free,” the source added.