The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a legal threat to Khalid Aminu, an #EndBadGovernance protester, over his recent claims of torture while in DSS custody. Aminu, an engineer by profession, alleged during a Channels Television interview that he was brutally treated following his arrest during the August protests in Kano and other northern states.
Detailing his experience, Aminu claimed, “On the 3rd (of August), they arrested us at NEPA Roundabout. Immediately, they began beating us with boots, kicks, and other forms of physical assault. At the command, I was struck repeatedly with a heavy cane, like an armored cable. They beat me flat on the ground, using sticks and cables. It was inhuman.”
In response, the DSS, through its lawyer, Mohammed Sani Ndanusa, SAN, refuted Aminu’s allegations in a letter dated November 25, 2024. The letter accused Aminu of deliberately fabricating the claims to damage the agency’s reputation.
Titled “Re: Allegation of Torture by Department of State Security Officials While Undertaking Custody in Kaduna”, the letter stated that Aminu’s allegations were a “misrepresentation of facts” and a “deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the DSS.” The DSS maintained that the claims had caused significant embarrassment to the agency.
The letter demanded that Aminu retract his statements and “publish the retraction and cause same to be published in three widely read newspapers, failure to which we shall be compelled… to initiate legal proceedings against you.”
Aminu’s torture claim appeared to conflict with those of other protesters who claimed to have been detained alongside him in the same DSS facility in Kaduna. In a recent interview, the protesters said that they were not tortured while in DSS custody.
