The Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday arraigned the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Atiku Abubakar Isah, before a Magistrate Court sitting in Zone 6, Abuja, on charges of inciting public disturbance and impersonating a public officer.
Isah, who appeared in court clad in all black, was charged following rising tensions within NANS due to an ongoing leadership tussle. The DSS alleged that Isah incited students to disrupt a lawful assembly and misrepresented himself as the president of the student body.
His lawyer, Marshal Abubakar of Falana & Falana Chambers, told SaharaReporters that the charges stemmed from claims that Isah disrupted a meeting held by a rival faction purported to be the “elected” leadership of NANS.
“The DSS charged Atiku Isah with inciting students to breach the peace at a student assembly and disrupting a meeting of individuals they claimed were the legitimate leaders of NANS,” Abubakar said.
In response, Atiku Isah has debunked all allegations, insisting he remains the duly elected president of NANS. He described the charges as a politically motivated witch-hunt, accusing unnamed forces of orchestrating a smear campaign to delegitimize his leadership and silence dissent within the association.
He also alleged that the DSS was being used to intimidate him and forcefully install a rival faction. Though he made no formal submission implicating any specific individual in court, his legal team has raised concerns about external political interference in student unionism.
The court granted Isah bail without stringent conditions, requesting only that a surety reside within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The ongoing case has stirred public interest and raised fresh concerns over the role of state security agencies in student and civil society affairs.
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