The Department of State Services (DSS) has released four suspects cleared of alleged links to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and approved an initial compensation payment of ₦20m to them.
The Director-General of the Service, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, approved the payment, with each of the four individuals expected to receive ₦5m.
Security sources disclosed that the suspects, identified as Emele Uduma Ibe, Berefgagha Appah, Ondokeyilemi Aggry and Oyeinmokebebeton Aggry, were arrested in May 2022 in Sampou and Akeddei communities in Kolokuma/Opokuma and Sagbama Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State.
According to one of the sources, investigations established that the individuals had been misled into believing they would receive monthly payments of ₦100,000 under the Federal Government’s Amnesty Programme.
“The Agency established that they had been misled into believing that they would each receive a monthly payment of ₦100,000 under the Federal Government’s Amnesty Programme, not knowing that they were being lured by a group of IPOB members who are now facing trial,” the source said.
Speaking on behalf of the suspects, their counsel, Deji Adeyanju of Deji Adeyanju & Partners, commended the DSS for its efforts towards safeguarding national security and acknowledged what he described as the Director-General’s commitment to protecting human rights.
Adeyanju also praised the professionalism and sanitary conditions within the Service’s facilities, describing his experience with the DSS as the best he had witnessed in more than 20 years of interacting with its personnel.
He reiterated his earlier public endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Ajayi as DSS Director-General.
One of the released individuals, Emele Uduma Ibe, who spoke on behalf of the others, expressed gratitude to the DSS leadership, describing his release as the happiest day of his life.
He said the experience had taught him valuable lessons that he intended to share with others, while offering prayers for the Director-General and the management of the Service.
The development comes amid a broader review of inherited terrorism-related cases initiated by Ajayi after assuming office in 2024.
According to the security source, the DSS ordered a review of more than 300 cases, with the number of detainees in its facilities subsequently reduced to about 100 following investigations. The Service has reportedly paid more than ₦1bn in compensation to individuals cleared of allegations against them.
Other beneficiaries include a Jos-based businessman who received ₦20m after being mistakenly shot by DSS personnel in Plateau State, with the Service also covering his medical expenses.
Similarly, Chineze Ozoadibe reportedly received ₦10m following her wrongful arrest, while Sunday Ifedi was compensated with ₦10m after investigations cleared him of alleged links to IPOB.
Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor also received ₦5m after investigations absolved him of the allegations.
The source added that the four newly released individuals would receive additional support, including psychological and medical assistance, to facilitate their reintegration into society.
“Like other compensated suspects, the DSS will also offer psychological and medical support to these four in addition to the initial amount given. I am confident the DSS will also help further reintegration into society,” the source said.
In a recent maiden media interview, Ajayi acknowledged that the DSS, like other human institutions, could make mistakes, stressing that such errors should be addressed through appropriate remedies.
He said the Service was committed to compensating individuals where wrongdoing had been established and improving its operations in line with the rule of law.
“Where we admit our mistakes, we offer compensation, and seek ways to improve operations in tandem with the rule of law,” Ajayi said.
