The Department of State Services (DSS) has released a missing girl, Walida Abdulhadi who has been in its custody.
Abdulhadi was released to the governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi when he visited the headquarters of the DSS in Abuja on Wednesday night.
He was accompanied by the Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Haruna Aliyu; the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Bello Abdulkadir Fanini; the Commissioner of Women Affairs, Hajiya Hadiza Abdulwahab; and her counterpart in the Ministry of Environment, Dr Nura Ibrahim Doka, among others.
He said the issues relating to her abduction would be handled by the courts, assuring that justice will be served.
The governor said Walida is the daughter of Jigawa State and that the government will ensure her safety and full recovery from whatever trauma she might have passed through.
The Director General of the DSS, Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, alongside principal officers of the Service, handed over Walida to the governor.
The Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) was represented by the Deputy National Legal Adviser, Barrister Haroun Muhammad, and a member of the Expanded General Purpose Committee, Alhaji Najib Jimoh.
Officials of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), other civil society organisations, and the media were present.
However, Walida’s parents were not present at the DSS headquarters during the handing over, which lasted until around 10:40 pm.
According to Walida’s father, she was 16-years-old when she was abducted in 2023.
Walida was allegedly kidnapped from Hadejia Local Government Area of Jigawa State by one Mariam, who later subjected her to sexual exploitation before she fled.
She later found herself in Abuja and thereafter moved in with an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS), Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi.
She gave birth to a baby girl in November 2025.
Walida went missing in 2023, and in December 2025, her father received a call from Ifeanyi, the DSS operative, who informed him that she was with him
After strenuous efforts by her relatives to recover her from Ifeanyi proved abortive, a petition was reportedly filed by her uncle at the DSS headquarters in Abuja, and thereafter, the family approached a court in Jigawa State.
The court directed that Walida should be released to her parents, but the DSS filed a counter-motion, insisting that they were investigating the matter.
The raging controversy revolved around Walida’s alleged abduction, conversion to Christianity and custody.
In his remarks at the DSS headquarters Governor Namadi said Walida would be under the custody of the state government, pending when all the contentious issues surrounding her abduction were resolved.
“Our concern is that Walida had been abducted,” he said, adding that the controversy will be tabled before a law court for adjudication.
“It is a state matter and will be treated as such,” he said.
He also said the baby girl delivered by Walida for Ifeanyi will also be under the custody of the Jigawa State government.
When asked why her parents were not carried along and whether she will be taken back to Jigawa, the governor said, “Taking her into our custody does not automatically mean that she will be taken back to Jigawa.
“Walida will be kept in Abuja for now. She will be provided with adequate security. Her case is a state matter and will be treated as such,” he said.
The DG DSS also said Ifeanyi was still in the custody of the Service and will not be spared if found wanting.
“He will face the music when found wanting. We have rules guiding our operations,” he said… See more
