DSS officer arrested over alleged rape of Muslim girl

The Department of State Services (DSS) has taken into custody one of its operatives over allegations of abducting, defiling and forcefully converting a 16-year-old Muslim girl, Walida Abdulhadi, to Christianity in Abuja.
The arrest followed a petition dated January 4 submitted by Abuja-based law firm, Gamji Lawchain. A copy of the petition, addressed to the Director-General of the DSS, was obtained by our correspondent on Friday via X (formerly Twitter).
The petition was written on behalf of the girl’s father, Alhaji Abdulhadi Ibrahim, and his family. According to the law firm, the DSS officer allegedly abducted Walida from the Hadejia area of Jigawa State when she was still 16 years old.
Lawchain maintained that the girl was a minor at the time she went missing and, under Nigerian law, could not legally consent to any sexual relationship.
The petition stated that the family searched for Walida for over two years without success, a period marked by severe emotional distress that reportedly contributed to the death of her mother.
“The anxiety, fear, and emotional devastation of losing their underage daughter slowly destroyed the mother, who eventually died as a direct consequence of the psychological trauma,” the petition stated.
According to the petition, the case took a dramatic turn on January 1 when the DSS officer allegedly contacted the girl’s father to inform him that Walida had been living with him, had given birth to a child, and that he was “ready to marry her.”
It further alleged that due to old age and ill health, the father sent a representative, Muhammad Badamasi Ibrahim, to a DSS facility in Abuja, where he was reportedly told that Walida had been living within a DSS residence throughout the period she was missing.
The law firm claimed that the family’s demand for Walida’s release was refused.
Lawchain further alleged that while in the custody of the officer, Walida was converted from Islam to Christianity without the consent of her parents and subjected to sexual exploitation, resulting in pregnancy and childbirth while she was still a minor.
The allegations were described as “moral bankruptcy in uniform,” with the firm warning that failure to take decisive action could undermine public confidence in state institutions.
The petition demanded the immediate suspension, arrest and prosecution of the DSS officer, as well as an independent investigation into the Karmajiji DSS facility. It also called for the release and protection of Walida and her child, alongside disciplinary measures against any DSS personnel found to be complicit.
Reacting to the allegations, the DSS Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Favour Dozie, confirmed on Friday that an officer of the Service had been arrested in connection with the case.
Dozie said the officer was under investigation for the alleged forceful conversion and marriage of Walida, adding that inquiries were ongoing.
“The attention of the Department of State Services has been drawn to reports alleging involvement of a staff of DSS, in a case of abduction, defilement of a minor, and abuse of office, among other offences. For clarity, the Service has no record of the above-named in its employment.
“However, it is hereby confirmed that an active staff, who is suspected to have forcefully converted and married one Walida Abdulhadi ‘f’, has been arrested and is currently being investigated,” the statement said.
The DSS spokesperson maintained that such acts were against the agency’s regulations and laid-down code of conduct, adding that the outcome of the investigation would be made public.