Department of State Services Releases Suspected IPOB Member

Director general, Department of State Security Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi has ordered the release of one Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor, arrested in July 2022, for his alleged involvement in the activities of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).

The DG also awarded Nwafor, who hails from Isuikwuato LGA in Abia State, N5 million as compensation for the wrongful arrest and provided free medical care.

This is coming one month after the release of an Abuja-based businesswoman, Mrs Chineze Ozoadibe.
Security sources revealed that a detailed investigation conducted by personnel of the Service exonerated Nwafor.

The source noted that the release and compensation are in line with the Director General’s directive that all cases he inherited be reviewed to ensure due process and the prompt dispensation of justice.

“The DG directed his investigation officers to conduct a detailed review of all pending cases, and they have been dutifully doing that. Nwafor’s case is one of such cases,” the source said.

The source further noted that “The gesture, one of the several by the DG, is a testament to his resolve to comply with the rule of law.

adherence to the service standard operating procedure. Three Abia men, Udemba, Onyedikachi and Eze, suspected of belonging to IPOB, were equally released.

“Mr Ajayi acknowledges that as humans, we sometimes make mistakes. He also believes that when such mistakes are made, the right thing is to make amends. That is why he has established a culture of accountability and humanely makes efforts to remedy the mistakes of the Agency,” added the source.

“Remember, he paid N20 million as compensation to one Jos-based businessman who was erroneously shot on the leg in the course of a security operation in 2016. Even when the court awarded N10 million in damages against the DSS, the agency refused to pay until Ajayi became DG. He doubled the money.

“Nwafor isn’t the first Igbo to be released and compensated under similar circumstances. Some months ago, the DG ordered the release of three young men wrongfully detained for belonging to IPOB.

“Last month, he paid N10 million as compensation to the Abuja-based Igbo businesswoman arrested by a sister security agency for alleged illegal oil bunkering. The DG added N10 million for five others to share, the source explained, adding, “This has become the trend since the new DSS leadership.”