#EndBadGovernance Activist Narrates Torture, Ordeal at DSS Detention on Inside Sources

Engr. Khalid Aminu, an #EndBadGovernance activist and protester, recounted his harrowing experience following his detention by the Department of State Services (DSS) after participating in peaceful demonstrations on August 3 while featuring on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television on Friday. Khalid, who was kept for 68 days without formal accusations, described the […]

Engr. Khalid Aminu, an #EndBadGovernance activist and protester, recounted his harrowing experience following his detention by the Department of State Services (DSS) after participating in peaceful demonstrations on August 3 while featuring on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television on Friday.

Khalid, who was kept for 68 days without formal accusations, described the mental and physical toll of his confinement, expressing significant worry about people’ rights under Nigerian law.

Reflecting on his initial intentions, Khalid shared that he attended the protest hoping to promote a nonviolent approach to advocating for change.

“It’s the third day of the #EndBadGovernance protests and I came out and met some people, some of my co-organisers. And, we got talking. I thought these guys are doing it all the wrong way. I mean, some of those out were holding sticks. And, I was like ‘How can we sanitise this?’ I was speaking to my friend. So, we got to discussion and we finally concluded that the best we can do was to get some loud voice so we can get the message out.

“I felt I needed to enlighten my fellow young Nigerians on how to go about peaceful protests. And that was how we decided to get a DJ and some speakers and mics on that Day 3.

“I was holding the mic and sound was a bit louder so people can hear out the message I was passing. The message was ‘This is how you’re supposed to protest. You don’t need any weapon. You don’t need to insult anyone. You don’t need to vandalise anything. Just, bring out your message.’ That was what we were doing on the 3rd of August. We walked some 10 to 15km to Stadium Roundabout to Ahmadu Bello Way to NEPA Roundabout. We were properly organised. As we were moving, the crowd was picking up. To our surprise, we passed Stadium Roundabout on our way to NEPA Roundabout, we got there It’s like DSS were waiting for us there. They blocked us at the NEPA Roundabout and they packed all of us with more than 10 Hilux and SUVs. They packed about 11 or 12 of us to their office.

“It’s until we got out about 2 weeks ago that I heard of Russian flag issue. None of us protesters waived Russian flags. All over the third day of the protests, there was nothing like Russian flag.”

For over two months, Khalid was held in DSS custody, where he endured inhumane treatment.

Describing his experience, he said, “From the moment we were arrested, we were beaten—kicked, hit with boots, and shoved into vehicles. When we arrived at the Command, I was subjected to harsh physical abuse. They whipped me with armoured cables, making me lie down on sharp grass while being drenched with water. They ordered me to roll across the grass, where insects bit into my skin. I still carry the marks from that day.”

The activist’s lawyer, Barrister Ibrahim Wali, condemned the DSS’s actions as a blatant violation of constitutional rights. “There was absolutely no legal basis for his detention,” Wali asserted.

“The Nigerian Constitution mandates that anyone arrested must be informed of their charges within 24 hours and brought before a court within that time frame. Khalid’s detention was not only arbitrary but an infringement on his fundamental rights. We applied to every relevant court for a remand order, but not a single one was issued.”

After mounting pressure from legal and activist groups, the DSS brought the detained protesters to court on October 3.

However, due to alleged “internal issues,” Khalid and others were not formally charged until October 10. “I only saw the charges for the first time that day,”

Wali noted. Despite the DSS’s accusations, Wali expressed confidence in their defense, noting that the charges lacked any factual basis beyond coerced confessions.

On October 17, the DSS abruptly filed an application to withdraw all charges.

Wali was not surprised by the withdrawal, stating, “We were prepared to go to trial, as we had evidence that everything Khalid and the others did was lawful. They had committed no crime, only exercising their right to peaceful assembly.”

For Khalid, however, the scars of his experience remain. “I can’t begin to tell you the full extent of what I went through in there,” he admitted. His case has drawn attention to the increasingly oppressive tactics used against young Nigerians advocating for transparency and accountability in governance.

As protests continue to highlight injustices in the country, activists and legal experts alike are calling for urgent reforms in how security agencies respond to citizens exercising their constitutional rights.

The #EndBadGovernance protests, Khalid insists, were meant to be peaceful, a call for young Nigerians to assert their voices without fear. Yet, his ordeal has cast a spotlight on the challenges facing protesters and activists in Nigeria. As Khalid put it, the experience hasn’t broken him; it’s only strengthened his resolve.