The Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) has denounced the Department of State Services (DSS) for suing Engineer Khalid Aminu for libel over his allegations of torture during his detention.
The DSS, otherwise known as State Security Service (SSS), is seeking ₦160 million in damages and a public apology from Aminu, who was arrested and detained for over 60 days following last year’s #EndBadGovernance protest.
YRC in statement issued on Sunday by its National Secretary, Francis Nwapa, described the lawsuit as a blatant attempt to silence Aminu and cover up the brutality he suffered at the hands of the DSS.
Nwapa stated that the DSS’s actions are “vexatious and utterly reprehensible” and called on the agency to halt its “reckless and vexatious effort to harass Khalid Aminu into silence.”
Newsmen earlier reported that Aminu was one of the participants of the #EndBadGovernance protest, which was sparked by President Bola Tinubu administration’s policies that led to increased prices of fuel, food, and other essential commodities.
The protest, however, was met with a violent crackdown by security agencies, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 Nigerians and the arrest of over 2,100 others, including minors.
YRC, however, in its statement demanded that the DSS tender a public apology and pay adequate compensation to Aminu for his illegal arrest and detention.
The group has also called on the DSS to respect Aminu’s right to freedom of speech and to cease its efforts to silence him.
He said, “As the State High Court in Kaduna State prepares to hear a case of libel brought by the Department of State Services (DSS) against Engineer Khalid Aminu, we of the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) consider it imperative to ask the DSS, Kaduna state division, to hands off comrade Aminu and desist from further raising tension in the polity through flagrant legal processes aimed at muzzling voices of opposition and legitimate dissent.”
It added, “Instead we ask the DSS to tender a public apology and pay adequate compensation to Engineer Khalid Aminu for arresting and detaining him for over 60 days illegally and in violation of his rights and civil liberties.
“In the said suit which is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday 25 February 2025, the DSS is asking Khalid Aminu to publish a public apology in ‘two widely read National Newspapers and all his Social Media Platforms retracting the said Negligent Misstatement’.
“Also the DSS is seeking the honourable court to issue an order granting one hundred million naira as general damages against the defendant and 60 million naira as cost of action. In total, the DSS is seeking damages worth N160 million against Engineer Khalid Aminu for speaking out about his illegal arrest and torture last year by operatives of the agency.
“Recall that Engineer Khalid Aminu was one of the key organisers of the #Endbadgovernance protest which rocked Kaduna state and several states in the country between 1st and 10 August last year.
“The protest which erupted due to the impact of the anti-poor and neo-liberal policies of the Tinubu capitalist administration on prices of fuel, food and the overall cost of living has become an enduring symbol of resistance in Nigeria as it highlights how citizens facing starvation and hunger due to terrible government policies can unite and organize to peacefully demand accountability.
“Instead of responding to the protesters’ demands, the Tinubu regime embarked on widespread crackdown with police and other security agencies unleashing a killing spree which left about 40 Nigerians dead while about 2,100 others including minors were arrested and thrown into jail.
“Khalid Aminu was arrested while mobilising for the protest and he was brutally beaten before he was taken into detention. While in detention, Aminu was denied access to his family and legal representation for several weeks– a reason why his family initially thought he was kidnapped not knowing he was wasting away in a DSS cell.
“After his release, Khalid Aminu, who still suffers untold physical and psychological damages from his experience, has been telling his story in the process exposing the sordid detail of the inner workings of Nigeria’s ruthless security apparatus especially the shadowy DSS.
“This legal step taken by the DSS is not only an abuse and a waste of tax payers’ money, it is also an attempt to shutdown Khalid Aminu in order to cover up the brutality and torture that has become a routine of security operatives in Nigeria despite the country being signatory to numerous international treaties and conventions that forbids torture of prisoners and detainees.
“We hereby call on the DSS to halt this reckless and vexatious effort to harass Khalid Aminu into silence.”
The five DSS officers alleging defamation as listed in court papers are Abdullahi Yunusa, Rabiu Ismail, Charles Michael, Ahmad Sani and Danladi Musa.
The case concerns allegations made in an interview aired on Channels Television and published by Daily Trust newspaper regarding the defendant’s (Aminu’s) alleged torture at the hands the DSS officers while in custody.
The claimants, DSS officers in Kaduna State, assert that the defendant’s statements were false, defamatory, and have damaged their reputation.
