Omoyele Sowore, the #RevolutionNow convener, has sharply criticized the National Assembly for not intervening in the case of Isa Umar, a 300L Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) student held by the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2014.
Umar was detained during a raid by the DSS, accused of having ties to Boko Haram in Kaduna State.
On Friday morning, via his X (formerly Twitter) account, Sowore criticized the National Assembly members, labeling them as “toothless bulldogs” for not stepping in to assist Isa Umar, even after being presented with a petition from Isa’s brother regarding the situation.
Sowore said, “This lawless @OfficialDSSNG of Nigeria arbitrarily detained a Nigerian student since 2014 after the Nigerian @HQNigerianArmy handed him over to them. The worst part is that these toothless bulldogs in the @nassnigeria can’t even do anything to right these wrongs besides presenting meaningless petitions, padding budgets and sharing cars and fat allowances. What a country! #RevolutionNow.”
According to SaharaReporters, Isa was arrested when his place of residence was raided on November 26, 2014, by DSS personnel for allegedly having a connection with Boko Haram terrorists in Kaduna State.
“His parents and some elders from Samaru community went to Kaduna State capital in search of him and they were told to go to Abuja, when they went to Abuja they directed them to check him in Kaduna.
“This was how they have been playing with his family’s intelligence without telling them exactly where they kept him,” Anas Adam, Kaduna State Coordinator for Youth for New Nigeria said in a press statement in 2020.
Anas mentioned that Isa’s family sought legal intervention to deem his arrest and confinement as unjustified. In 2017, the court decreed his immediate release and mandated the DSS to compensate him for his prolonged illegal detention.
Anas added, “In 2017, a court ordered his release and also ordered some money to be given to them as damages but neither a dime was given to him as damages nor was he released from their custody.
“I have full assurance that if at all he was not abducted from the onset he could have graduated with a very good result because he has only one year left for him to graduate from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and may be by now he might have been pursuing his PhD abroad or in any of our Nigerian Universities.”
| Sahara Reporters
