The Department of State Services (DSS) has taken one of its own operatives into custody following serious allegations of criminal misconduct involving a minor in the nation's capital.
Agent Accused of Heinous Crimes
The DSS confirmed the arrest of its personnel, Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi, also identified as Ifeanyi Festus, over accusations of abducting and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The agency's spokesperson, Favour Dozie, issued a statement from Maiduguri, Borno State, acknowledging the reports and the subsequent detention of the officer.
In her statement, Dozie revealed that the service's attention was drawn to allegations involving a staff member in "a case of abduction, sexual abuse of a minor and abuse of office, among other offences." She confirmed that an active staff member, suspected of forcefully converting and marrying the victim, is now under investigation.
Petition Details a Family's Tragedy
The arrest was triggered by a formal petition dated January 4, 2026, submitted by an Abuja-based law firm, Gamji Lawchain. The firm acted on behalf of the girl's father, Alhaji Abdulhadi Ibrahim, and his family, addressing the petition directly to the Director-General of the DSS.
The legal document outlines a harrowing sequence of events. It alleges that the DSS officer abducted the teenager from the Hadejah area of Jigawa State when she was just 16 years old. The petition further accuses the officer of unlawfully converting the victim to Christianity.
A particularly tragic detail from the petition states: "The anxiety, fear and emotional devastation of losing their underage daughter slowly destroyed the mother, who eventually died as a direct consequence of the psychological trauma." The law firm emphasized that, as a minor at the time of her disappearance, the victim was legally incapable of consenting to any form of sexual relationship under Nigerian law.
DSS Vows Transparency and Action
Favour Dozie was clear that the alleged actions of the officer contravene the DSS's strict regulations and code of conduct. She assured the public that the findings of the ongoing investigation would be made public, underscoring the agency's commitment to accountability.
This case places a national security agency under intense scrutiny, as it deals with an internal breach involving grave charges against a vulnerable minor. The public now awaits the outcome of the DSS's internal probe into the conduct of Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi.
