Amid a tumultuous phase in Nigeria’s political history, the nation grappled with a protracted and contentious transition to civilian governance. During this period, precisely 1991, General Ibrahim Babangida’s regime faced increasing opposition from student activists, culminating in a significant crackdown on the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) during a meeting in Ibadan, south-west Nigeria.
Security operatives, posing as students on campuses nationwide, infiltrated the University of Ibadan, where NANS leaders had gathered. In a shocking move, the State Security Service (SSS) arrested the student leaders and detained them at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in Lagos, keeping their location secret for ten days. Among the detained were NANS President Mahmud Aminu, activist Bamidele Aturu, Naseer Kura, and Funso Omogbehin.
To legitimize the unlawful detention, the regime retroactively invoked the State Security (Detention of Persons) Decree No. 2 of 1984. The detainees’ whereabouts were only revealed when a prison official discreetly informed a visiting lawyer. Human rights lawyer Kanmi Isola-Osobu, renowned for his work, took up their case, leading to their release after a ruling by Justice Nureini Abiodun Kessington, a judge known for challenging abuses of power.
This incident reflected a troubling trend: the weaponization of legal instruments to suppress dissent and violate citizens’ rights. Many hoped that the end of military rule in 1999 would mark the end of such practices, but they persist, with politicians now adopting similar tactics.
In 2017, Audu Maikori, a prominent lawyer and entrepreneur from Southern Kaduna, became a victim of these abuses. His tweets about violence in Southern Kaduna led to his detention, ordered by Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai. Despite a Federal High Court ruling that declared his detention illegal and awarded him N40 million in damages, the practice of abducting dissenters continued unabated under el-Rufai’s administration, as seen in the case of activist Steven Kefason.
Kefason’s ordeal began in May 2019 when he was abducted by police from Port Harcourt and transported under brutal conditions to Kaduna. His alleged crime? A tweet criticizing local officials for neglecting internally displaced persons in Kajuru. Denied due process, Kefason endured harsh treatment, with courts upholding questionable decisions to keep him detained for over six months.
These cases underscore the continuity of military-era abuses in Nigeria’s democratic dispensation. The judiciary, once seen as a defender of civil liberties, now often enables these violations, eroding public trust. Justice figures like Nureini Abiodun Kessington, who once stood against such abuses, are sorely missed in today’s legal landscape.
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This analysis serves as a clarion call for systemic reforms to restore the rule of law and protect citizens from becoming “hostages in law.” As Nigeria reflects on its history, it must confront these enduring practices to pave the way for a just and equitable future.
By Chidi Odinkalu, as analyzed on Channels Television’s **Inside Sources
