Operatives of Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) have been accused of unlawfully coercing a detained TikToker, Gali Ismail Abdullahi, popularly known as “Sultan,” into surrendering passwords to his private digital accounts while in custody at the Keffi Correctional Centre in Nasarawa State.
A petition dated July 30, 2025, addressed to the Director-General of the DSS, and signed by Abdullahi’s lawyer, Hamza N. Dantani, Esq.
In the letter, the lawyer accused DSS officers of storming the correctional facility on July 29 without court authorisation, and without informing Abdullahi’s legal team.
The petition, titled “Illegal And Unconstitutional Intrusion Into The Privacy Of Our Client Currently Standing Trial In Court”, condemned the DSS’s actions as a “repugnant” breach of due process and a violation of the suspect’s fundamental human rights.
The letter reads in part: “It has come to our attention, and we are gravely concerned, that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), on 29th July 2025, without any prior notification to us as our client’s legal representatives and without an order of court, proceeded to Keffi Prison and compelled officials of the facility to produce our client.”
“These operatives, acting outside the scope of the law, forced our client to surrender the passwords to his phone, iCloud, email, and other private accounts, a clear violation of his right to privacy as guaranteed under Section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”
Abdullahi, who was arrested over a TikTok video in which he allegedly claimed President Bola Tinubu had died, is currently facing a two-count charge to which he has pleaded not guilty. He remains in custody pending the hearing of his bail application.
The petition cited key legal precedents, including Fawehinmi v. I.G.P. and Independent Television Radio v. E.S.B.I.R., to assert that the court must authorise all further investigative actions impacting an accused person’s liberty once the trial has commenced.
“The law is equally well settled that criminal proceedings are deemed commenced once a suspect has been formally charged before a court of law… Any further investigative step that affects the liberty or fundamental rights of the accused must be done only with leave of the court,” the petition stated.
The lawyer further described the DSS actions as a pattern of abuse, citing Abdullahi’s initial arrest in a “Gestapo-style manner” in Kano, his secret transfer to Abuja, incommunicado detention, and denial of access to legal counsel and bail.
Dantani said all evidence obtained through the alleged coercion is “tainted, illegal, and inadmissible” under Section 14 of the Evidence Act, and called for a formal investigation into the DSS’s conduct.
The demands outlined in the petition include: Immediate cessation of any unlawful use or data extraction from the private information obtained; a formal investigation into the officers involved; and Respect for the ongoing judicial process and the fundamental rights of the accused.
“The DSS, as a creation of law, must operate strictly within the ambit of the law and not in a manner that undermines the Constitution or statutes which it is bound to uphold,” the petition warned.