The Department of State Services (DSS) has released four suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) after investigations cleared them of allegations linking them to the separatist group.
The Service also approved N20 million as compensation for the four individuals, with each expected to receive N5 million.
The suspects, identified as Emele Uduma Ibe, Berefgagha Appah, Ondokeyilemi Aggry, and Oyeinmokebebeton Aggry, were arrested in May 2022 in the Sampou and Akeddei communities in the Kolokuma/Opokuma and Sagbama Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State.
Security sources disclosed that investigations established that the four men had been misled into believing they would receive monthly payments of N100,000 under the Federal Government’s Amnesty Programme.
According to the sources, they were allegedly lured into the arrangement by some IPOB members, who are currently facing trial.
The director-general of the DSS, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, approved their release and compensation after the Service concluded its investigations.
Upon receiving the four freed suspects, their lawyer, Deji Adeyanju of Deji Adeyanju & Partners, commended the DSS for what he described as its efforts to safeguard national security while respecting citizens’ fundamental rights.
Adeyanju also praised the professionalism within the Service, describing it as the best he had experienced in more than 20 years of interacting with DSS personnel.
He further reaffirmed his position that President Bola Tinubu made the right decision in appointing Ajayi as Director-General of the Service.
Speaking on behalf of the four beneficiaries, Ibe described his release as the happiest day of his life, saying the experience had taught him lessons he would share with others.
He also expressed gratitude to the DSS LEADERSHIP and prayed for continued blessings upon the director-general and the Service’s management.
The latest development is part of a broader review of inherited terrorism-related cases that Ajayi initiated shortly after assuming office in 2024.
According to security sources, the DSS boss ordered a review of more than 300 inherited cases, with investigations resulting in the release of some detainees and the payment of over N1 billion in compensation to individuals cleared of allegations.
The Service reportedly reduced the number of detainees in its facility from more than 300 to about 100 following the review.
Other beneficiaries of the compensation initiative include a Jos-based businessman who was erroneously shot by DSS personnel in Plateau State and subsequently received N20 million, alongside coverage of his medical expenses.
Similarly, Chineze Ozoadibe received N10 million following her wrongful arrest, while Sunday Ifedi was paid N10 million after investigations cleared him of alleged links to IPOB.
Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor also received N5 million after the Service absolved him of allegations of membership of IPOB.
A security source said the four newly released individuals would also receive psychological and medical support in addition to the initial compensation. At the same time, the Service would assist with their reintegration into society.
Ajayi had, in a recent maiden media interview, acknowledged that the DSS, like every human institution, could make mistakes but maintained that such errors must be addressed through appropriate remedies.
“Where we admit our mistakes, we offer compensation, and seek ways to improve operations in tandem with the rule of law,” he said.
