- Court ordered DSS to release teenager and hand suspect to police.
- Judge condemned DSS for shielding operative accused of serious crime.
- Victim’s lawyer hailed ruling as victory for justice and due process.
Federal High Court sitting in Dutse, Jigawa State, ordered the Department of State Services to immediately release a 16-year-old girl, Walida Abdulhadi, and hand over one of its operatives, Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi, to the police for investigation.
EDITOR’S PICKS
- FA Introduces New Rules To Limit Heading In Football
- President Tinubu Has Not Endorsed Any APC Candidate for 2027 – Jandor
- Police Arrest 2 Over Trafficking of Nigerian Woman to Côte d’Ivoire
EKO HOT BLOG reports that the directive followed allegations that the teenager, a resident of Hadejia Local Government Area, was abducted and sexually abused by the DSS operative in 2023.
Reports indicated that Abdulhadi became pregnant while in the custody of the suspect and later gave birth to a baby girl.
The case had drawn widespread attention within and beyond Jigawa State and was adjourned on March 26 after both the prosecution and defence presented their arguments.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Hassan Dikko ordered the DSS to release the teenager without any condition.
The judge also directed the agency to produce Onyewuenyi and hand him over to the Jigawa State Police Command for a thorough investigation.
In his ruling, Justice Dikko condemned the DSS for allegedly shielding its operative accused of committing what he described as a “heinous act.”
“The conduct of the DSS in hiding and shielding an officer accused of this terrible crime is condemnable,” the judge declared.
The court further nullified any internal investigation the DSS claimed to be conducting on the matter.
Justice Dikko held that the DSS does not have the legal authority to investigate its own officer in a criminal case of such nature under the law establishing it.
He stressed that only the police and the courts have jurisdiction over criminal allegations.
Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the victim’s family, Kabiru Adamu, described the ruling as a victory for justice and due process.
“We welcome this judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Dutse, Jigawa State, because it has confirmed that the court remains the last hope of the common man,” Adamu said.
He added that the decision would help ensure justice is served in accordance with the law.
Adamu urged the police to act promptly once the suspect is handed over, stressing the need for a transparent and speedy investigation.
Earlier, a Magistrate Court in Hadejia had directed the DSS to release the teenager to her parents unconditionally and transfer the suspect to the Jigawa State Commissioner of Police.
However, the DSS challenged the order at the Federal High Court, seeking to halt its execution before Tuesday’s ruling reaffirmed the directive.
