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The former factional head of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Atiku Isah, has provided a stunning account of his time in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), detailing his extensive meetings and surprising insights into Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Isah’s detention stemmed from serious allegations he leveled against Seyi Tinubu, the son of the Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu.
The NANS chief had publicly claimed that Seyi and the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, offered him a N100 million bribe in Lagos to endorse the President which Seyi Tinubu has since vehemently denied.
DSS operatives apprehended Isah on April 15 and held him in their Abuja facility, the same location where the IPOB leader is currently confined. Isah was released on June 26, 2025, following activist-led protests.
A Two-Month Bond and a Changed Mind
Speaking about his experience, Isah disclosed that he only met Kanu after persistent encouragement from a fellow inmate.
“I now went close to him (Kanu) and said I am comrade Atiku Isah... he said, ‘No, I know you,’ and he started telling me about what happened and telling me that I should be strong. That was how I continued discussions with him for about two months,” Isah recalled.
He emphasized the depth of their interaction, noting that being confined together allowed them to connect daily. “If you stay with somebody on a daily basis and you’re discussing with the person on a daily basis for about two months... you should know the kind of person he is,” he said.
Isah admitted his initial perception of Kanu was deeply negative. “Prior to my meeting with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, I had thought that he was a wicked man who wanted to divide the country... that is the mindset I had. But after meeting him, in the detention, I realized that the Fulanis, the Hausas, the Kanuris there are all loyal to him.”
Unprecedented Support Inside the Facility
The most astonishing revelation from the former NANS leader was the level of internal devotion to Kanu, transcending ethnic and political divides.
“You’ll be shocked that he has more supporters in the DSS facility than he has outside,” Isah asserted, pointing out that “more than 95 per cent of the people” inside were supportive.
He shared an encounter with a Fulani inmate who spoke in Hausa and Arabic, advising him: “He will like you because you can speak English and he is a good man, if you have any problem, meet him, he’ll help you. So that is how they see Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Everybody in that detention facility, they see him as their leader.”
However, Isah described his confinement as a “wonderful experience” because it allowed him to meet Kanu, whom he now views as a courageous and strong leader who despises seeing young Nigerians struggle.
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