Misturah Adesiyan, a trader and mother of Nurudeen Adesiyan, a young man, who was arrested by the Department of State Services for allegedly having a link with Moroccan terrorists, shares her experience with DANIEL AYANTOYE about the sudden arrest of her son and his fiancée, Ayomide (Kehinde) Akintunde
Can you recall how your son and his fiancée were picked up at your place by security operatives?
Yesterday, Friday (January 17, 2025) made it the eighth Friday that they took our children away. I woke up very early on Friday, November 29, 2024, when they came to our house. It was like an ambush. Before then, my landlord’s wife had woken up, and the people (DSS personnel) had surrounded the house. They held my landlord’s wfe down and told her not to talk or call anyone.
Immediately I opened our door, I saw the security men with big guns. Some were on the veranda, backyard, and everywhere. I was shocked and asked them what happened. I told them we were not lawless people and asked them what could have warranted such an attack on us. One of them called out, ‘Iya Olosan, be patient’. When I heard that, I became more frightened because it dawned on me that this might be someone who knew me.
Do you know the person who called your name?
While I was trying to look at his face to know if he was someone I knew, he left, and another person came forward to replace him. They were up to 18 and were all carrying guns. They collected my phone and dragged me inside to where the children were. That was when Nurudeen stood up to ask why they were dragging me. One of them slapped him. They immediately checked my phone, and after going through my call log, they asked who ‘Kehinde 2’ was.
I couldn’t answer because the same Kehinde was standing beside me there. I was startled and wondered if they were looking for someone; should they not know the person facially? I just told them ‘Kehinde is also my child’. They asked if I knew where she slept and her house. I told them to follow me to Kehinde’s house so that I wouldn’t be the only one to see what would transpire after identifying Kehinde.
I asked myself how I was going to explain that they arrested someone’s daughter, who is my son’s fiancée, from my house. They surrounded me and didn’t allow me to change my clothes until we all entered their vehicles.
How many vehicles did they come with?
They came with four vehicles, including a white Hilux and another that looked like a police van. When we entered one of their vehicles, I saw a female who was also one of them. I asked her, ‘Please, what did these children do?’ She responded by asking me the type of job Kehinde was doing. I said Kehinde just graduated from pharmaceutical training, and her people were looking for funds for her freedom.
I further said she was not doing any job. When we got to their house, I told them (security personnel) to allow me to come down to knock, but they refused. They all came down and left us inside the vehicle. They went to the house and took all the children and their mother. They drove all of us to the community school, where they asked us to come down.
They then gave us our phones. Immediately, they drove our children away. I have tried their numbers several times, but it is not going through. We don’t know where they are holding them. They arrested my children; they took my son away with only a boxer on him. They didn’t allow him to wear trousers. I have not slept well; I could not even take my bath since they carried my children away.
Did the security personnel identify themselves to you?
They didn’t. It was in the morning when we went to report at the police station that they told us that the security personnel might be from the DSS. That was after we described their vehicles and their appearances. The police also asked how many vehicles Kehinde had, and how many houses she had. We were amazed and told them that she was a young girl who was still being fed.
They also asked what type of vehicle the fiancé was using. I told the police that the two of them only had one room at my place at Ajape. Then, they directed us to the DSS office in Ife. When we got there, they told us there was no report of the arrest. Then we went to the DSS office in Osogbo, and we were told the same thing.
There was confusion. Someone was saying maybe the people who came to arrest them were hired killers; another person said they wouldn’t be that much in number if they were hired killers. They said such a movement might have come from the “top” (Abuja). Since that day, we have not been able to find out where our children are.
Where is Nurudeen based?
He usually goes to his elder brother in Ibadan and comes back here (Modakeke).
What job is he doing?
He does not have a job. His father’s death created a setback for him in his education pursuit, and there is no certainty that he will go back to school. He is currently learning spare parts trade.
According to a report, he and his fiancee were arrested because they were linked to Moroccan terrorists. Have you heard them speaking to foreigners on the phone before?
It is not possible. I have never heard them talking to such people. God help me! This is too much! My children should be sent back to me. They should not lie against my children. They didn’t do anything. They took them away and Kehinde was three months pregnant already. They should not let my children suffer for what they know nothing about.
Some people said it is possible that it was a mistake of number, and that sometimes, calls clash. They should not punish my children for what they do not know. The government should come to our aid. We don’t know anybody; we don’t have anybody.
There are instances where someone will call me or other people and they will be speaking Igbo or Hausa, because of network issues. So, it is possible the call came as a mistake.
I became more afraid when I told the security personnel to allow me to call someone inside the vehicle; and the woman among them responded, saying, ‘Even if we call Tinubu, it will not change anything. I asked them what my children’s offence was, but they didn’t answer me. They said I should not worry. I have never found myself in this situation before.
