Audio Reveals BOSYA President Kaigama Predicted DSS Arrest, Alleged NSA Ribadu Wanted Him Detained Over Media Disclosures
Borno Youth Leader Feared DSS Arrest Before Detention, Audio Reveals
07th August, 2026 | Nigeria | Security
An audio recording obtained by SaharaReporters has revealed that the President of the Borno State Youth Association (BOSYA), Samaila Ibrahim Kaigama, feared he would be arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) before he was eventually taken into custody.
In the recording, Kaigama claimed he had received information suggesting that authorities believed he was uncovering sensitive information through his engagements with the media and were planning to detain him.
He disclosed that he was scheduled to meet Senator Ali Ndume before proceeding to a meeting with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, at about 2:00 p.m., after which he intended to brief the public on the outcome.
However, Kaigama said if he failed to communicate within 24 to 48 hours, journalists and his media contacts should assume something had happened to him and publish the information he had previously shared.
According to him, rumours indicated that the planned detention was linked to information he had been providing to the media, with authorities allegedly believing he was uncovering sensitive issues.
Kaigama also revealed that he had been communicating with individuals he identified as terrorists, claiming they made what he described as “very bold” assertions on certain matters.
He explained that those conversations prevented him from immediately releasing a video in which he intended to discuss the issues in detail, adding that he planned to record another video explaining the claims he had gathered.
The BOSYA president said he intended to continue with his scheduled activities but acknowledged uncertainty about what might happen afterward, reiterating that any prolonged silence should be taken as an indication that he had been detained.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Kaigama was arrested by the DSS in Abuja following his appearance on Channels Television, where he made allegations concerning ransom payments to Boko Haram terrorists.
His arrest has drawn concern from human rights advocates, who questioned whether the action was an attempt to silence a dissenting voice.
Confirming the arrest, African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate and human rights activist Omoyele Sowore said a lawyer from the law firm of Deji Adeyanju visited the DSS headquarters to meet Kaigama but was denied access.
According to Sowore, the lawyer waited for more than an hour before DSS operatives refused him entry into the facility or access to his client, forcing him to leave without seeing Kaigama.