DSS releases four suspected IPOB members, pays N20m compensation

The Department of State Services DSS has released four persons who were arrested and detained for years over alleged links to the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB.

The secret police also paid them N20 million in compensation for wrongful detention.

The Director-General of the DSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi, ordered their immediate release following a review that established they had no links to IPOB activities.

The freed detainees are Emele Uduma Ibe, Berefgagha Appah, Ondokeyilemi Aggry and Oyeinmokebebeton Aggry.

According to the DSS, the four were mistakenly arrested and remained in custody for years before a review panel established their innocence.

Ajayi has reportedly initiated a series of reforms aimed at addressing cases of wrongful detention, including the release and compensation of affected persons.

In a similar development, the DSS recently released a Kaduna farmer who had been detained for two years over alleged links to Boko Haram and paid him N3 million in compensation.

The Service also increased compensation for a Jos businessman who was mistakenly shot by its operatives in 2016 from N10 million to N20 million.

In November 2025, Ajayi ordered the release of Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor, who was arrested in July 2022 over alleged IPOB links, and approved N5 million in compensation for him.

Three other men from Abia State, Augustine Udemba, Nelson Onyedikachi Udemba and Ifesinachi Eze, had earlier been released and paid N5 million each.

Similarly, in October 2025, the DSS released an Abuja-based businesswoman, Chineze Ozoadibe, and approved N10 million in compensation for her.