The House of Representatives committee on Public Petition has directed the authorities of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Army to grant access to family members and counsel to a terrorism suspect, Mr. Ntari Hassan Danladi, detained since 2021 without trial.

Danladi, who served as the former National President of the Mumuye Youths, was arrested at the youth wing office of the Mumuye Cultural Development Association at Mile 6 in Jalingo, Taraba State.

He was initially accused of belonging to the so-called Middle Belt Ethnic Militia, but has remained in custody for four years without formal charges being filed by both the DSS and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) until now.

The committee, chaired by Mr. Kwamoti Bitrus Laori, issued the directive on Thursday following the counsel’s application to the suspect, Mr. Pius Danda, during the committee’s proceedings.

Danda contended that the continuous detention of Danladi for the past four years constitutes a clear breach of the order of a Federal High Court, which had ordered his release pending trial in a court of competent jurisdiction.

He stressed the need to be allowed access to Danladi to assess his and his family’s well-being, pointing out that the DSS and the Army denied them access despite the court order.

Counsel to the DSS, Mr. Emmanuel Dabiri, who recalled when Danladi was arrested on the 6th of May 2021, disclosed that the DSS had his confessional statement over his involvement in acts of terrorism.

Dabiri faulted the claim that access was not granted to Danladi’s council and his family members.

Representatives of the office of the AGF were conspicuously absent during the committee’s proceedings.

The deputy chairman of the committee, who was informed that Danladi was slated to appear in court on the 8th of July this year, therefore adjourned that matter until the 25th of September for further hearing.

According to the DSS, in a letter dated June 14, 2025, its investigation “revealed that Danladi alongside Joshua Njiwa travelled to an IPOB camp situated within a forest in Ozu Abam community, Arochukwu Local Government Area, Abia State, to attend military drills and dry weapon handling using AK-47.”

The DSS further stated that “the Federal Government had, in compliance with an order of Court dated 20th September 2017, declared IPOB a terrorist organisation.”

The DSS claims it obtained valid court orders authorising Danladi’s detention throughout its investigation, stating its actions are lawful and in line with the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.

Danladi, who is currently being held at the Military Detention Facility in Wawa Cantonment, Niger State, now faces a fresh three-count terrorism charge filed by the Office of the Attorney General — the first formal charge since his arrest in 2021.