Sani Waspapping Arrested by DSS in Kaduna Over Posts on US-Israel-Iran War

On a Friday evening near the NEPA Roundabout in Kaduna, agents of Nigeria’s Department of State Services intercepted a popular social media commentator known widely as Sani “Waspapping,” dragging him from the street alongside a friend and loading him into a vehicle. The friend was released shortly after.

Waspapping, who goes by the name Sarki and the handle @Waspapping_ on X, was not. As of Tuesday, his whereabouts remain unknown, no formal charges have been filed, and the agency has said nothing publicly about why it took him.

The arrest, which associates have bluntly described as an abduction, is believed to be connected to posts Waspapping published on X concerning the ongoing military conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, in particular, remarks critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and in the broader war.

Omoyele Sowore, the human rights activist and former presidential candidate, was among the first prominent voices to address the situation publicly, writing on X that Waspapping had been unlawfully held by what he called a lawless agency and demanding his immediate release. Sowore said the commentator had been picked up specifically over his criticism of Israel’s military actions, which Sowore characterized as targeting civilian populations.

The international conflict that apparently drew Waspapping’s commentary is itself still erupting. The 2026 Iran conflict was initiated by the United States and Israel on February 28, 2026, and has since engulfed the wider Middle East.

Oil prices have surged past $100 per barrel for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and a senior Iranian official told CNN there was no immediate prospect for an end to the fighting. The war has generated intense reaction across Nigerian social media, particularly in the predominantly Muslim north, where commentators have been outspoken in condemning the strikes on Iran.

Back in Kaduna, the silence around Waspapping’s detention has alarmed his circle. A source identified as AbdulSalam Ahmad wrote publicly on X that individuals who had privately claimed to be working behind the scenes to negotiate his release had since gone quiet, offering no updates or accountability.

Ahmad said information had also emerged suggesting that Waspapping had been transferred to an undisclosed location, a development he described as deeply troubling and inconsistent with the conduct of people genuinely committed to securing the commentator’s freedom.

Supporters have moved to organize a formal legal response. Statements circulating online confirmed that a team of lawyers is being assembled to formally engage the DSS, establish the legal basis, if any, for the detention, and demand accountability. The statements emphasized that due process is a constitutional obligation in Nigeria, not a discretionary act, and that if the state has allegations against Waspapping, it must bring them before a court of law without further delay.

The case does not exist in a vacuum. Amnesty International had separately called for the release of another Kaduna-based activist, Abubakar Affan, who was arbitrarily arrested by the DSS and denied access to a lawyer and his family, and has been held since February 10, 2026. He is widely known for his activism against the situation in Gaza.

Amnesty warned that persistent repression by the security agency fosters a toxic environment of fear and self-censorship, steadily hollowing out the right to free expression. The organization added that using coercive tactics to dictate what Nigerians say or post online is a human rights violation and an affront to the rule of law.

That pattern of crackdowns has coincided with a firmly stated posture from Kaduna’s political leadership. Governor Uba Sani has publicly declared that his administration will not tolerate conduct that endangers peace and security in the state, and has warned residents not to exploit the cover of free speech to cause unrest.

Critics say that the standard, applied to commentary on a foreign war thousands of miles away, stretches the concept of domestic threat beyond any defensible meaning and signals a growing willingness by Nigerian authorities to treat digital expression as criminal conduct.

The DSS did not respond to requests for comment. No court date for Waspapping had been scheduled at the time of publication, and the precise circumstances of his continued detention remain unconfirmed. His family has not made any public statement.

This story will be updated as further details become available.