ISA UMAR: The 300L ABU Student Forgotten In DSS Custody – By Anas Adamu

Engr. Anas Adamu

Isa Umar is a childhood friend of mine. we attended the same primary school in Samaru (Ibrahim memorial Academy) before my dad removed and transferred me to ABU staff school where I wrote my common entrance and got admission into Demonstration Secondary school ABU Main campus Zaria.

While Isa Umar attended ITN (Islamic trust of Nigeria) Zango, Zaria. He became the Ameer of the school when he was in SS3.

After graduating from Secondary school in 2010, I went to SBRS Funtua for a Remedial Programme while Isa Umar was teaching in an Islamic school in Samaru and still awaiting admission into Ahmadu Bello University Zaria since he is an Art student and SBRS no longer offer art courses any longer.

Isa Umar was initially offered admission to study in Ghana, he went there for some time but returned. He told me he was not satisfied with the standard in that particular university in Ghana and prefers to come back to his father Land and study in his home town Zaria as it was always his dream to become an Abusite and naturally ahead.

We were opportune to secure admission into our University of choice – Ahmadu Bello University in the same year 2011. While I was admitted to study Engineering, Isa Umar was offered Library an Information Science. My course is a five years course while he is four years. His studies proceeded smoothly until his IT when the incident happened.

Isa Umar was teaching in an Islamiyya by the name ”Madrasatu Tarbiyyatil Islamiyya wa lugatil Arabiyya’‘ popularly known as ”Danraka” because he was also their Alumni. He studied an Islamic course in the school and emerged as the best student. Isa is a gifted student both in Islamic and western education and a very good footballer which earned him the Nickname ”Isa Pele’‘ because he plays the game like the popular PELE of Brazil.

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One day, he told me to accompany him to a school inside Samaru to go and conduct oral exams for the adult students (mostly married women) in the month of Ramadan around 2014 but I can not recall the exact date.

We went and apologized to them that the questions he set were not ready because he gave it to one of his colleagues to help him moderate the questions and that person was unavoidably absent which was the reason he asked me to accompany him because the person he was supposed to go to the exam venue together with was absent.

We agreed to come back the following day and conduct the exams for them if the other person is back with the questions.

I woke up the next morning only to hear that Isa Umar was arrested in his house at night by the DSS and they also arrested some of his friends that slept in a Mosque (Khalid bin Walid Masjid) near his family house because Isa Umar was also part of the mosque committee and use to teaches some of his students in the Mosque.

After ten days of detention, Isa Umar and co were all released without charge. He returned to Zaria and school. After a few months, some officials from DSS raided his house at night on the 26th of November, 2014, and took Isa Umar away.

His parents and some elders from Samaru community went to Kaduna State capital in search of him, and they were told to go to Abuja, when they went to Abuja they directed them to check him in Kaduna. This was how they have been playing with his family’s Intelligence without telling them exactly where they kept him.

Isa Umar is the last born in his family which made his Mum and Dad in bitter sorrow and agony. His mum is totally depressed and traumatized. In 2017, a court ordered his release and also ordered some money to be given to them as damages but neither the money was given to him as damages nor was he released from their custody.

I have a full assurance that if at all he was not abducted from the onset Isa could have graduated with an excellent result. He was in 300L with just a year left to graduate from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and maybe by now he might have been pursuing his PhD abroad or in any of our Nigerian Universities.

I ask Almighty Allah in His Infinite Mercy to return him back to his family peacefully. I call on the office of the President,the President of the Senate and the Director of SSS and all the relevant authorities to check on the affairs of this Innocent Patriotic Nigerian Student that is forgotten in DSS Custody to do justice for him and release him back to his community and his family.

Engr. Anas Adamu, An Abusite, is the Kaduna State coordinator, Youth for New Nigeria (YNN). And Samaru Coordinator, Young Leadership Association of Nigeria (YLAN) contacts: 08167639663, adamannas19@gmail.com