May 04, (THEWILL) – Mr. Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, has denied allegations that he was involved in the assault and abduction of the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Comrade Atiku Isah.
According to Isah, Seyi Tinubu and the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, offered him a N100 million bribe in Lagos to promote the president.
The NANS president alleged that he rejected the bribe for the reason that he could not promote a President whom he considered had failed to keep his electoral promises.
Following his refusal to accept the bribe, he was stripped naked, attacked, and abducted by hoodlums linked to the younger Tinubu on 15 April.
He alleged that thugs loyal to Seyi Tinubu stormed the Wells Carlton Hotel in Asokoro, Abuja and disrupted the students’ body’s inauguration.
The student leader claimed the attackers stabbed attendees, looted property, and forced dignitaries such as former Governors of Kano and Kogi States, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau and former Governor Idris Wada, to flee.
He said, “I was abducted on the 15th of April. I was stripped naked and seriously beaten. They threatened to release a video.
“They told me nothing would happen if they released the video, and even if they killed me, Seyi Tinubu would order a cover-up.
“I made it clear that even if I were shot, I would still come to this hall. The inauguration proceeded, and I was announced as president. I want Nigerians to know what happened and that we will not give up. Seyi Tinubu can do anything he wants, but we are determined.”
In his reaction on his Instagram page at the weekend, Seyi Tinubu described the allegations as fictional and an attempt to defame his character.
He denied ever meeting Isah or holding any meeting with him to discuss any NANS related.
He said, “Wow… how can someone lie with so much confidence? An attempt to defame my character. May God be with you, Comrade Atiku Isah,“ adding that, “I have never held a meeting to discuss any subject matter with Comrade Isah in Lagos or anywhere else in the world. I have never knowingly met him before, nor did I visit any location with thugs. All these allegations made by Atiku Isah are completely fictional.”
Interpreting the allegation in a political context, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, said it was part of ongoing ploy to tarnish President Tinubu’s administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.
National Organising Secretary of the organisation, Abagun Kole Omololu, at the weekend described Isah’s allegations as “salacious, fallacious, and completely unfounded.”
Omololu said Isah was and an impostor and an agent of opposition politicians.
“First, this individual apparently has a political motive, as clearly seen in the banner he hoisted outside the venue of his supposed inauguration, “ he said and further stated that, “That banner proudly displays the photos of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, and other prominent members of the so-called anti-Tinubu coalition.
“This is prima facie evidence that Mr. Isah is being sponsored by the political enemies of Seyi Tinubu’s father and will, therefore, say anything to tarnish the President, which is what he is doing by attacking the son.”
On that premise, Omololu claimed that, “The obvious conclusion the public should, therefore, draw is that this is a proxy war against the President, his government, and his family by surrogates of the coalition of strange bedfellows cobbled together not for the benefit of Nigeria but to seize power by any means necessary, including sponsoring a vocal local actor like Isah to throw arrows that they are too cowardly to throw using their own names.”
Rising to his defence, former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar, said that any attempt to link him to the incident was a deliberate falsehood designed to score cheap political points. He instead said Seyi Tinubu’s behaviour was condemnable and called on the President to rein in his son.
According to Abubakar, Seyi Tinubu, “appears determined to purchase political loyalty for his father by any means necessary, including coercion, violence, and intimidation.”
He said that the fact that the allegations are tied to the President’s own son makes it even more horrifying.
“What’s worse is the emerging suggestion that even top security officials are not beyond Seyi Tinubu’s overreaching influence — an unacceptable compromise of state institutions.
“It is intolerable that the first family would seek to subjugate the NANS — or any civil society group — through threats, bribes, or brute force. Nigeria is a democratic republic, not a monarchy handed down to one family.
He called on well-meaning Nigerians to rise to speak out, claiming that the actions of the President’s family — “specifically their rabid drive to consolidate political power through manipulation and fear — must be condemned unequivocally. We must remind them that the presidency is a public trust, not a private inheritance.”
On his relationship with Isah, Attempts to drag former Vice President said that “a political alliance with Comrade Isah are baseless, malicious, and desperate. Atiku Abubakar’s meeting with Isah was centered solely on education reform and improving student welfare, which also includes institutions he founded, like the American University of Nigeria and AUN Academy.
According to him, Comrade Isah’s advocacy and public stance must be evaluated based on fact, not fiction. The allegations of abuse he has made demand an independent investigation, especially since the very agencies meant to protect citizens appear complicit in his ordeal..
Abubakar further added that he remains firmly committed to the principles of democracy, rule of law, and the use of education as a cornerstone for national progress and development. He will not be distracted by false narratives or cowardly intimidation.
Meanwhile, NANS, has dismissed allegations that the organisation has been hijacked by politicians, including the son of President Bola Tinubu, Seyi.
National Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Ajasa, disowned Isah as its National President. “We want to clearly state that Mr Abubakr is in no way the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students. The legitimate and duly elected President of NANS, representing the Nigerian student populace, is Comrade Olushola Oladoja.”
Even so, one Henry Okunomu who claimed to have held the position of Senate President within our organisation alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi, had been meddling in the internal affairs of NANS and questioned his interest and stake in the students’ union.
Okunomu said, “With the involvement of the President’s son for the past one year, he has done everything to make sure that the organisation is porous. What he stands to gain, I don’t know. What he wants to achieve, I don’t know. But the question I want the general public to ask him is, what is his interest in NANS?” Okunomu said during his TV appearance. As at press time, the issue was still generating public interests and comments for and against.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
