Court Orders Arrest of SSS Operative In High-Profile Abduction, Rape Case
By MELVIN KOFFA
Legal and Human Rights Implications
A magistrate’s court in Jigawa State has issued a warrant for the arrest of an official from the State Security Service (SSS) following allegations involving the abduction, forced conversion and sexual assault of a teenage girl.
The court ruling was delivered by Magistrate Sadisu Musa on Friday in response to a motion filed by counsel Kabiru Adamu, who urged the court to compel the Jigawa State Police Command to investigate the offences under relevant sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL). The accused, Ifeanyi Festus, is alleged to have abducted Walida Abdulhadi from Hadejia Local Government Area, coerced her into renouncing her Muslim faith, and fathered her child.
Officials further ordered that the SSS immediately release the victim and reunite her with her family, highlighting concerns over the treatment of vulnerable citizens by security personnel. The girl, who was 16 at the time of her disappearance, was found this month at Festus’s residence in Abuja, triggering intense legal and public scrutiny. Her father had spent years searching for her, and her prolonged absence is linked to his wife’s death from prolonged grief, family sources say.
Human rights advocates following the case note its far-reaching implications for protections against abuse by security agents and for religious freedom. Falcon Times Hausa reported the father’s shock and relief at finding his daughter after years. As legal pressure mounts, another lawyer in the case, Barrister Hussaini, has formally appealed to President Bola Tinubu and SSS leadership to ensure an open, unbiased investigation. The SSS has yet to publicly comment on the allegations or court directives.
