The Take-It-Back (TIB) Movement, Bauchi State Chapter, has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to either release Mallam Rabiu Habibu Wanka or arraign him before a competent court, saying he has spent nearly nine months in detention without being charged or tried.
The movement also accused the DSS of failing to comply with a June 22, 2026, order of the Federal High Court in Bauchi directing the agency to arraign Wanka within 14 days.
In a statement signed by the TIB Bauchi State Coordinator, Nazif Bashi, on October 4, the chapter said more than three months after the court order was issued, Wanka had yet to be arraigned. According to TIB, Wanka was arrested by masked men identified by his family as DSS operatives at Kuitum in Bauchi Local Government Area on January 8, 2026, a day before his daughter’s wedding.
The State said Wanka had remained in custody since then, while his family had been denied access to him and was not informed of the reason for his arrest. TIB quoted the family as alleging that about 20 DSS operatives raided Wanka’s home about two hours after his arrest without a search warrant.
TIB said the DSS admitted in court that Wanka remained in its custody without being formally charged, leading to the Federal High Court’s June 22 order directing the agency to arraign him within 14 days. The movement said, “More than three months later, it has not complied.”
It added that the continued detention and failure to obey the court order “undermines the rule of law and the authority of the judiciary.”
According to TIB, Wanka’s legal team has filed a fresh action at the Federal High Court in Bauchi challenging the DSS’s failure to comply with the earlier order. The movement also raised concerns about the impact of Wanka’s detention on his family, saying he was the household’s breadwinner.
Bashi said during a visit to the family’s home in Kuitum, he found the family in severe hardship. He quoted Wanka’s wife, Amina, as saying that some of the family’s belongings had been sold to provide food for the children.
“The parlour was empty of furniture except a television,” TIB said.
The group added that Wanka’s 19-year-old son, Badamasi, had completed secondary school but could not afford university admission, while his 75-year-old mother, Ladi, whose health is said to be declining, was pleading daily to see her son.
TIB called on the DSS to “immediately release Mallam Wanka or present him before a competent court,” in line with the June 22 court order.
It also demanded that, pending any decision on his release or arraignment, Wanka be given immediate access to his family and lawyers, proper medical care and information on the reason for his arrest and continued detention.
The movement further called on the Attorney General of the Federation and the National Judicial Council to act over the non-compliance with the court order. It ask the National Human Rights Commission to investigate Wanka’s arrest, the raid on his home, the seizure of his belongings and the effect of his prolonged detention on his family.
TIB also demanded compensation for Wanka and his family over what it described as the loss of property and distress arising from the detention.
The movement said it would continue to pursue the matter through “legal and peaceful advocacy” until Wanka is reunited with his family.
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