DSS Under Fire Over Arrest of Youth Who Accused Tinubu of Funding Boko Haram, Video Trends
- The DSS arrested Samaila Ibrahim Kaigama, a Borno youth leader, after he made allegations on Channels TV linking Tinubu to Boko Haram and bandit payments
- Kaigama claimed during the interview that he had evidence backing his allegations, and that media coverage of the matter was being suppressed
- Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the arrest and called on authorities to either release Kaigama, give him access to lawyers, or charge him to court
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over four years of experience covering security issues and counterinsurgency in Nigeria and across Africa.
Maiduguri, Borno state - The Department of State Services (DSS) has reportedly arrested Samaila Ibrahim Kaigama, a youth leader from Borno state, following a television interview.
During the interview sighted by Legit.ng, he alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's government was funding Boko Haram and bandits and claimed that media coverage of the allegations was being deliberately blocked.
Source: Twitter
Samaila Kaigama: Amnesty International speaks out
Kaigama made the allegations on Channels TV, where he said he possessed evidence to support his claims. The interview drew swift attention from security authorities, who moved to detain him shortly after.
In a statement on Friday, July 24, Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the arrest, describing it as arbitrary and raising questions about the conduct of authorities.
In a statement, the rights organisation expressed serious concern over how the detention was handled.
"Amnesty International is deeply concerned by the arbitrary arrest of Samaila Ibrahim Kaigama - a youth leader from Borno state by the Department of State Services (DSS) after a television interview in which he made serious allegations regarding endemic security crisis in Borno state," the statement read.
"The way and manner he was arrested have been raising questions that must be answered. Authorities must either release him, grant him access to lawyers or charge him to court."
Furthermore, Amnesty argued that rather than detaining Kaigama and cutting off his access to legal representation, the Nigerian authorities should direct their efforts towards an impartial and independent investigation into the allegations he raised.
"Instead of detaining him and denying him access to lawyers, the Nigerian authorities should be prioritising impartial and independent investigation of the allegations he made," the organisation added.
Security allegations draw attention
Kaigama's claims, made publicly on a national television platform, centred on what he described as financial links between the presidency and armed groups operating in north-east Nigeria. The DSS did not issue a public statement on the grounds for the arrest at the time the story broke.
The development has drawn scrutiny over the boundaries of free speech and the treatment of citizens who raise security-related allegations against the government.
Read Amnesty International Nigeria's statement shared on X fuming at Kaigama's arrest below:
Watch the now-trending interview that reportedly led to Kaigama's arrest below via X:
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Terrorists kidnap, kill 106 health workers
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that armed groups, criminal kidnappers, and jihadist fighters abducted 91 health workers and killed 15 others across 101 separate attacks on Nigerian healthcare facilities between 2023 and 2025, according to a new international report.
The figures come from the 'Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025' report, published by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition. The data was compiled using Insecurity Insight's global monitoring system and covers incidents across the three-year window.
Source: Legit.ng
