The Nigerian Bar Association, Dutse branch, has waded into a disturbing case involving a Department of State Services officer, Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi, accused of abducting a teenage Muslim girl, holding her incommunicado for more than two years, repeatedly raping her, forcing her to convert to Christianity and compelling her into marriage.

The girl, identified as Miss Walida Abdullahi, was 16 when she disappeared from her family home in Jigawa State. Her parents reported her missing and, according to relatives, spent years searching police stations, hospitals and communities across the North without success. The prolonged trauma, family members say, contributed to the death of Walida’s mother, who never recovered from the shock of her daughter’s disappearance.

The case resurfaced dramatically when Onyewuenyi allegedly contacted Walida’s father, Abdulhadi Ibrahim, and informed him that his daughter had been in his custody for more than two years. He reportedly instructed the distraught father to travel to Abuja to formalise a marriage between him and the girl, now a minor mother after giving birth to a child said to be the product of the alleged rape.

That phone call, according to lawyers familiar with the matter, triggered a chain of legal and public reactions that has now placed the DSS officer at the centre of a high-profile human rights controversy. An Abuja-based law firm, Gamji Lawchain, petitioned the authorities, detailing allegations of abduction, unlawful detention, defilement of a minor, abuse of office, and forced religious conversion and marriage.

Following the petition, a High Court in Dutse issued an order directing the Commissioner of Police and the DSS to arrest and investigate Onyewuenyi. The order, which the NBA says it is relying on, mandates security agencies to produce the suspect and ensure a thorough probe into the circumstances surrounding Walida’s disappearance, detention and alleged abuse.

The NBA Dutse branch, in a strongly worded statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, A. B. Umar, described the allegations as “an appalling level of barbarism and a crass display of impunity,” particularly troubling because the suspect is a serving officer of a federal security agency entrusted with protecting citizens’ rights and safety.

“The victim was reportedly held against her will for over two years and gave birth to a child as a result of the alleged rape,” Umar said, stressing that the case goes beyond a private dispute and raises grave questions about the misuse of state power and the vulnerability of minors in the custody of security operatives.

The association said it had received reports that Onyewuenyi had been arrested by the DSS in compliance with the court order, but insisted that mere arrest is not enough. It demanded “a swift, transparent, thorough, and impartial investigation to ascertain the culpability of the suspect and any other persons who may be complicit in this egregious case.”

For the NBA, the allegations cut across several layers of law: criminal offences such as abduction, unlawful confinement and rape; constitutional violations of the right to dignity, personal liberty and freedom of religion; and professional misconduct arising from the alleged abuse of official position by a security officer. The Dutse branch has pledged to monitor every stage of the investigation and any subsequent prosecution.

“We shall ensure that justice is not only done but is seen to be done for Miss Walida Abdullahi and her family,” Umar said, adding that the association would provide legal support where necessary and engage with relevant agencies to prevent interference or intimidation of witnesses.

The case has also inflamed religious and community sensitivities. Walida, a Muslim from a conservative northern family, is alleged to have been coerced into renouncing her faith and adopting Christianity while in captivity. Rights advocates argue that forced conversion, particularly of a minor, violates both Nigerian law and international human rights standards to which the country is a signatory.

Local community leaders in Jigawa have expressed outrage, calling for calm but insisting that the matter must be treated as a test of Nigeria’s commitment to protecting vulnerable girls, regardless of religion or ethnicity. Women’s rights groups and child protection advocates have begun to rally around the family, warning that the case may be one of many unreported incidents involving powerful officials and underage girls.

Legal analysts note that the involvement of the DSS, both as the employer of the suspect and as an agency ordered to help enforce his arrest, places the institution under intense scrutiny. The service is expected to demonstrate independence and willingness to subject its personnel to the same standards of accountability demanded of other citizens.

The NBA Dutse branch has urged the public to remain calm and law-abiding as the investigative and judicial processes unfold, warning against any attempt to exploit the case for sectarian or political gain. It emphasised that the focus must remain on securing justice for Walida, ensuring her safety and rehabilitation, and holding any culpable parties to account.

For Walida’s surviving family members, the legal battle is only one part of a deeper struggle. They are now confronted with the emotional and social consequences of her alleged ordeal: the trauma of prolonged captivity, the stigma of sexual violence, the responsibilities of caring for a child born under such circumstances, and the challenge of rebuilding a life interrupted in adolescence.

As the investigation proceeds, the case is emerging as a litmus test for Nigeria’s justice system: whether a teenage girl from a modest background can obtain redress against a state security officer accus