Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has formally charged Ntari Hassan Danladi, a former youth leader from Taraba State, with terrorism-related offences after holding him in detention without trial for four years.
Danladi, who served as the National President of the Mumuye Youths, was arrested in May 2021 at the youth office of the Mumuye Cultural Development Association in Jalingo.
At the time, he was accused of being part of a Middle Belt ethnic militia, but no formal charges were filed until now.
A letter from the DSS dated June 14, 2025, alleges that Danladi, alongside another man, travelled to an Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) camp in Abia State, where they allegedly underwent military training and handled weapons, including AK-47s.
The DSS stated that IPOB had been declared a terrorist group by the Federal Government in 2017, and claimed Danladi’s actions were in violation of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.
The charges, filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, include three counts of terrorism and are the first official charges against Danladi since his arrest.
He is currently being held at the Wawa Military Detention Facility in Niger State, where a Special Terrorism Court is now handling his case.
However, Danladi’s lawyer, Pius Danba Pius, has described the charges as baseless and politically driven.
He criticised the prolonged detention, arguing that Danladi had repeatedly denied having any ties to IPOB.
Pius stated that the only evidence presented by the DSS is a statement in which Danladi clearly denied involvement with the group.
He also revealed that Danladi’s family has been unable to visit him regularly, and they believe his continued detention is a violation of his fundamental rights.
Despite the backlash, the DSS maintains that it followed legal procedures and obtained valid court orders to detain Danladi.
The Service warned that its communications are classified and that leaking information from its correspondence could lead to prosecution.
