Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The family of Abbas Lukman, Youth President of the Ebira people in Ajaokuta Federal Constituency, Kogi State, has accused operatives of the Department of State Services of abducting him in the middle of the night, concealing his whereabouts for months, and secretly arraigning him before a Federal High Court in Abuja without legal representation. In an interview with SaharaReporters on July 17, 2026, family members detailed a harrowing sequence of events that began in February 2025, when Lukman was taken from his home at midnight by DSS operatives and has since been held incommunicado.
According to the family, the ordeal began when Lukman, a member of the All Progressives Congress, supported an APC House of Representatives candidate during the last general election by personally financing the construction of a borehole to boost the campaign. When he later sought reimbursement for the N2 million borehole project, the candidate's younger brother reportedly asked for a formal agreement and later warned Lukman against speaking publicly about the matter. The money was eventually refunded, but the family alleges that the dispute led to a petition being written against Lukman.
Tragedy struck when a family approached Lukman for help after their son, Abdulkareem, went missing. As Youth President, Lukman went to the DSS office in Ajaokuta to lodge a complaint. Two days later, he was invited back, and the DSS officer reportedly requested his assistance in gathering information about Abdulkareem. Later that same night, at about midnight, several DSS operatives stormed Lukman's residence. "About four Hilux vehicles surrounded the compound. They called his name. He looked through the window and recognised the voice of the OC of the DSS, even though his face was covered," one family member said. The operatives demanded his mobile phone and his hunting gun — a firearm inherited from his late father, who was a respected hunter in Ajaokuta. "Lukman's wife was panicking, but he calmed her down. He told her not to be afraid because they were DSS officers and he had committed no crime," the family member said. The operatives assured his wife that they were only taking him to Abuja for questioning and promised to bring him back or contact her in the morning. "That was the last time any member of the family saw Abbas Lukman," the relative said.
The family immediately rushed to the DSS office in Ajaokuta, but found it locked. They went to the DSS state headquarters in Lokoja, where they were told to relax and that after 72 hours they would be informed whether Lukman was in custody. After waiting three days without any update, they returned to Lokoja. "This time they denied having him in custody and advised us to go to court," the family said. It was not until December 2025 that the DSS formally acknowledged before the National Human Rights Commission that Lukman was indeed in its custody. The agency informed the commission that Lukman was being investigated as a suspected member of ISWAP — an allegation the family firmly rejected. "Lukman has absolutely no connection with any terrorist organisation. His only concern has always been the development and security of Ajaokuta and the Ebira people," they insisted.
The family further claimed that they recently discovered that the DSS had quietly filed charges against Lukman before Court 10 of the Federal High Court in Abuja, and that proceedings had allegedly been ongoing for some time without Lukman having legal representation. "Our shock was that the DSS had already taken him to court and the case had been going on without any lawyer representing him," the family member said. The family added that Lukman's lawyer has since filed a separate suit challenging his detention, and that the DSS has responded in court filings, stating that it obtained an order to remand Lukman at Wawa Custodial Centre pending investigation.
The family alleged that the operation was not carried out solely by DSS officials in Kogi State but followed directives issued from Abuja after a petition had been submitted against Lukman. They claim that several people in the community identified the APC House of Representatives member as the source of the petition. "We went to virtually every political leader in the state, but everyone ignored us and behaved as if nothing had happened," the family member said. The family has since appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to intervene and secure Lukman's release.
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