NANS president, Atiku Isah drags Seyi Tinubu, DSS, NTA to court, demands N38bn in damages

Seyi, Isah

The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Atiku Abubakar Isah, has dragged the Department of State Security Services (DSS), son of President Bola Tinubu, Seyi, and the Director of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), to the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking enforcement of his fundamental human rights.

He is also demanding N38 billion in damages from the respondents.

The suit filed on May 14, 2025, and marked Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/966/2025, lists the Director-General of DSS, the Director NTA and Mr. Seyi Tinubu as the 1st to 3rd respondents, respectively.

Isah, through his legal counsel, Ugwueze I. Oduegbu and R.O. Ifebhor of Ajunwa & Co., is seeking a series of declarations and orders from the court.

The applicant wants a declaration from the court that his abduction, unlawful detention for over 15 days, and continued incarceration without charge constitute a gross violation of his rights to freedom of movement under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

“A declaration that the alleged torture, brutal beating, stabbing, and psychological trauma inflicted on him amount to inhuman and degrading treatment under Section 34 of the Constitution and Articles 5 and 16 of the African Charter.”

He is therefore seeking an order for his immediate and unconditional release from the DSS custody.

He also seeking “An injunction restraining the respondents from further acts of kidnapping, torture, detention, and threats to his life.”

He wants the court to order the respondents to pay N32.87 billion in general damages, N5.5 billion in exemplary damages and 20% compounded interest on the judgment sum until full payment or deposit into an interest-yielding court account.

Isah’s suit stems from a violent leadership tussle within NANS. During his inauguration at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja, he was allegedly attacked by a rival faction of the student body said to have the backing of political elite, including Seyi Tinubu.

Following the attack, Isah was receiving medical treatment at a DSS clinic when he was reportedly taken away by operatives of the secret police. Since then, his whereabouts remain unknown.

A member of Isah’s family raised alarm over his disappearance and deteriorating health, describing the DSS’s actions as “bandit-like.”

“Why are the DSS operating like bandits? They whisked away a man who was nearly killed, while those responsible for the attack are walking free. Since they took him, we have had no word,” the relative lamented.

The family added that Isah’s wife and daughter are traumatized by his sudden disappearance and are demanding answers.

No date has been fixed for commencement of the case.