The Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed the release of Walida Ibrahim, the Jigawa State teenager whose disappearance in 2023 generated widespread public attention, to the Jigawa State Government under Governor Umar Namadi.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Deputy Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications at the DSS National Headquarters in Abuja, Favour Dozie, the agency disclosed that the handover took place at about 5:45 pm on February 26, 2026.
“The Department of State Services hereby confirms official release of the above named to Jigawa State Government led by Governor Umar Namadi among other state officials.
“This decision, at the instance of the Director General, State Security Service, was taken following completion of findings by the joint investigation committee set up to probe the allegations surrounding her disappearance from her parents.
“The interagency committee comprised officials from the Ministry of Women Affairs, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Muslim Lawyers Association (MULAN), as well as notable civil society organisations, Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) and National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN),” the statement read.
It added: “As earlier assured, the Service, about 1745hrs today, February 26, handed her to state authorities to be housed in one of the state government’s facilities under the protection of security agencies, while awaiting the completion of all litigations.”
Walida, said to have been 16 when she went missing in November 2023, resurfaced more than two years later in connection with Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi, identified as a serving DSS operative.
She gave birth to a baby girl in November 2025.
Her case attracted intense public and media scrutiny, with allegations ranging from abduction and exploitation to forced conversion, prompting court actions and demands from civil society groups for her return to her family.
In an exclusive interview published by Daily Trust on February 21, Walida narrated her account from DSS custody in Abuja.
She said she left her home in Anku, Hadejia, in 2023 after encountering a woman named Mariam while fetching water.
According to her, she followed Mariam without understanding why and was moved between different locations, including a house in Hadejia where she stayed with other females, and later to Mariam’s residence in Gandu. She alleged mistreatment by Mariam’s husband, Abdullahi Isiyaku, and his co-wife, Fatima.
Walida said she was renamed Chinasa and that attempts to escape resulted in beatings and eventual relocation to Abuja.
She recounted that while roaming in Abuja before Easter 2024, she met several individuals, including a tricycle rider, and later encountered Ifeanyi, from whom she requested food.
She said Ifeanyi introduced her to his sister and asked that she be accommodated, but the sister declined, stating she did not know her.
However, she said he insisted on assisting her.
Walida stated that she followed him home willingly, lived with him by consent, became his girlfriend, got pregnant and delivered a baby girl named Onyechi in November 2025.
She said events took a different turn in late December 2025 after she fainted during New Year crossover prayers.
“On December 31, 2025, during crossover prayers, I had a severe headache and my eyes turned red. Ifeanyi called his sister, who advised him to give me paracetamol. The next day, January 1, the headache persisted. I fainted, and when I regained consciousness, I asked him where I was. He was shocked. I told him I didn’t know him at all, and insisted that wasn’t the house I had been living in before. He begged me not to escalate the matter, fearing neighbours might intervene. I cried and asked for a phone to call my father because I wanted to go home.
“He took me to his sister’s house and explained what happened. She called me Chinasa, but I denied ever bearing that name. She asked what my real name was, and I said Walida. I requested a phone to call my father. They asked if I could, and I said yes. She suspected I was afflicted, but I said I was fine. They gave me a phone, and I called my dad,” she told Daily Trust.
Walida denied being abducted or forcibly converted to Christianity, maintaining that her relationship with Ifeanyi was consensual.
She expressed a preference to remain with him rather than return home, citing fear of harm, and dismissed claims that she had been compelled to change her religion.
After attempts by her relatives to retrieve her were unsuccessful, her uncle reportedly filed a petition at the DSS headquarters in Abuja.
The family subsequently approached a court in Jigawa State.
The DSS later took Walida into custody and detained Ifeanyi for investigation.
Although a court directed that she be released to her parents, the DSS filed a counter-motion, stating that investigations were ongoing.
According to reports, Governor Namadi, accompanied by senior state officials including the Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, the Attorney-General and the Commissioner for Women Affairs, received Walida at the DSS headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday night.
The governor described her as “a daughter of Jigawa State” and assured that the government would ensure her safety, support her recovery from any trauma and safeguard her welfare, while allowing the courts to determine the legal aspects of the case.
The DSS said she would remain in a secure state facility pending the conclusion of ongoing litigation and pledged continued transparency and cooperation throughout the legal process.
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