“Walida Was 16, Not 20’ — Father Fires Back at Women Minister, Demands Justice
A fresh controversy has emerged in the ongoing case of Walida Abdulhadi, the young woman whose alleged abduction by a Department of State Services (DSS) operative, Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi, has sparked national outrage, as conflicting accounts of her age continue to dominate public discourse.
Walida’s father, Malam Abdulhadi, has strongly rejected a claim by the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, that his daughter was about 20 years old at the time of the alleged abduction. He described the minister’s statement as “baseless hearsay,” insisting that family records clearly show that Walida was a minor when she was taken.
The minister had earlier made the remark while attempting to clarify circumstances surrounding the controversial case, which has generated intense debate across Nigeria. However, the statement has triggered widespread reactions on social media, with many Nigerians questioning the accuracy of official information about the case.
Speaking during a programme on Sawaba FM monitored by PRNigeria, Malam Abdulhadi questioned how a government official who is not a member of the family could determine the birth date of his daughter.
“The minister was not the one who gave birth to her,” he said. “I married her mother in 2007, and I can tell you that she was abducted when she was 16 years old. She only recently turned 18.”
He further dismissed references to what he described as a “strange indigene certificate” allegedly used to support claims about Walida’s age, arguing that the timeline of his marriage and family history provides a clearer basis for verification.
“Is the minister in a position to tell me the age of my daughter when she does not know when I got married to her mother?” he asked. “She should come out publicly and say what she said was not true. It is simply propaganda.”
Adding weight to the family’s position, Walida’s maternal uncle, Malam Yunusa Kani, also challenged the minister’s statement, insisting that the family’s records contradict the official narrative.
According to him, Walida’s mother was married in Anku in 2007 and gave birth to Walida the following year.
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“We were witnesses to the marriage ceremony in 2007,” Kani said. “After about a year, the family was blessed with Walida’s birth in 2008. That is the fact. We do not know where the minister got her information.”
He urged the government to handle the matter with fairness and sensitivity, noting that the family had already endured significant emotional distress since the alleged abduction.
“She must remember that public officials will be held accountable for what they say. We plead with the government to take pity on us and ensure justice is done,” he added.
Walida’s younger sister, Fatima Abdulhadi, also spoke during the programme, offering further details about the family timeline.
“I am 14 years old, and my brother who was born after Walida is 16 years old,” she said. “Walida was abducted two years ago.”
The case of Walida Abdulhadi has attracted widespread national attention following allegations that a DSS officer abducted the teenager from Jigawa State more than two years ago.
A petition filed by lawyers under Gamji Lawchain on behalf of Walida’s father alleged that the officer detained her unlawfully, sexually exploited her, and compelled her conversion from Islam to Christianity without parental consent. The petition also claimed that Walida gave birth while in custody.
Civil society organisations and faith-based groups under the banner of the Concerned Coalition for Walida Abdulhadi have also accused the DSS of defying a subsisting court order directing her release to her family.
The conflicting narratives have further deepened public debate over the case, raising questions about the credibility of official statements and the transparency of the ongoing legal and investigative processes.
PRNigeria reports that the dispute over Walida’s age is particularly significant because it could determine whether the case is treated primarily as a matter of child protection and trafficking or as a different category of legal dispute.
Meanwhile, human rights advocates and concerned citizens have continued to call for full transparency, judicial independence and a thorough investigation into the allegations, as Nigerians await clearer answers about Walida’s welfare and the fate of the DSS officer accused in the case.
As of the time of filing this report, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs had not issued a further clarification on the matter.
By PRNigeria
