A Federal High Court in Dutse, Jigawa State, has directed the Department of State Services (DSS) to surrender its operative, Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi, to the police for investigation over allegations of abducting and impregnating a teenager.
The case centers on 16-year-old Walida Abdulhadi, who was reportedly taken from Hadejia Local Government Area, molested, and “forcefully converted to Christianity.” Walida later gave birth to a baby girl, and amid public outrage, the DSS handed her over to the Jigawa State Government.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Hassan Dikko ordered the unconditional release of Walida and dismissed the DSS’s claim of an internal probe, describing the agency’s actions as an attempt to shield its operative. He condemned the alleged conduct as “condemnable,” stressing the gravity of the accusations.
Counsel to Walida’s family, Kabiru Adamu, hailed the ruling as a triumph for justice. He said, “This ruling reinforces public confidence in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man.”
Adamu urged the police to conduct a transparent and timely investigation once Onyewuenyi is handed over.
The judgment follows an earlier directive by a Magistrate’s Court in Hadejia, which had ordered the release of the teenager and transfer of the suspect to the police—a move contested by the DSS before the Federal High Court.