DSS DG Releases Suspected IPOB Member Detained Since 2022, Awards ₦5m Compensation, Medicare
By Trek Africa Newspaper
Barely a month after directing the release and compensation of Abuja-based businesswoman Mrs. Chineze Ozoadibe, the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has ordered the release of Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor, who had been in detention since July 2022 over alleged links to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Nwafor, an indigene of Isuikwuato LGA of Abia State, was awarded ₦5 million as compensation for wrongful arrest, alongside free medical care approved by the DG.
According to credible security sources, a comprehensive review conducted by DSS investigators fully exonerated Nwafor of the allegations.
The release forms part of the sweeping case reviews ordered by Ajayi upon assuming office—an internal reform push aimed at ensuring due process, accountability, and justice in all inherited cases.
“The DG directed 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,” a source said.
The official added that the gesture reflects Ajayi’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and the Service’s standard operating procedures. He disclosed that three other Abia men—Udemba, Onyedikachi, and Eze—suspected of IPOB affiliation—were also released after a similar review.
Another source familiar with the process noted that Ajayi has consistently emphasised accountability within the agency.
“Mr. Tosin Ajayi acknowledges that as humans, mistakes may occur. He believes the right thing is to make amends. That’s why he has established a culture of accountability and is committed to remedying errors where they are identified,” he said.
He further recalled Ajayi’s decision to pay ₦20 million compensation to a Jos-based businessman who was mistakenly shot during a 2016 security operation—double the amount ordered by the court, which the agency had initially failed to pay until he became DG.
Sources also noted that Nwafor is not the first Igbo detainee to benefit from Ajayi’s reforms. In recent months, the DG ordered the release and compensation of three young men previously held for alleged IPOB membership.
Last month, he approved ₦10 million compensation for an Abuja-based Igbo businesswoman wrongfully arrested by another security agency for alleged illegal oil bunkering, and an additional ₦10 million shared among five others.
Insiders say such gestures have “become the trend” under the new DSS leadership, signalling a new era focused on fairness, transparency, and institutional responsibility.
