DSS Threatens Legal Action Against Channels TV Guest Over Torture Allegations

The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a formal demand for retraction from Khalid Aminu, an engineer and participant in the August #EndBadGovernance protests, over claims that he was tortured while in their custody. The agency has also threatened legal action if Aminu does not comply.

Aminu, who was arrested during the protests in Kano, alleged during a Channels Television program that he endured severe physical abuse at the hands of DSS operatives. Describing his ordeal, he recounted being beaten with boots, sticks, and armoured cables after his arrest at NEPA Roundabout on August 3. “What I went through was inhuman,” Aminu stated. “If I pull up my chest, you will see the scars. They started beating me, and I was flat down while they blasted me with all forms of sticks and cables.”

However, the DSS, in a letter dated November 25, 2024, dismissed Aminu’s allegations as baseless and defamatory. Signed by Mohammed Sani Ndanusa, SAN, the letter accused Aminu of attempting to tarnish the agency’s reputation. The letter, titled “Re: Allegation of Torture By Department of State Security Officials While Undertaking Custody in Kaduna,” asserted that his claims misrepresented the facts and brought unwarranted embarrassment to the DSS.

“You will agree with us that your above representations have caused our client a lot of embarrassment both within and outside Nigeria,” the letter read. The DSS demanded that Aminu publish a retraction in three widely circulated newspapers, warning that failure to comply would result in legal action.

Interestingly, Aminu’s claims contradict accounts from other protesters reportedly detained alongside him in the same DSS facility in Kaduna. These individuals, in a recent interview, stated they were not subjected to torture while in DSS custody.