The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has ordered the release of four suspects cleared of alleged membership of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and approved N20 million compensation for them.
Security sources disclosed that each of the four suspects will receive N5 million.
The suspects namely 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.
“The Agency established that they had been misled into believing that they would each receive a monthly payment of N100,000 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,” a source said.
Counsel to the suspects, Deji Adeyanju & Partners, while receiving them, commended the Service for its efforts in safeguarding national security and acknowledged the DSS DG’s commitment to upholding human rights.
He also noted the high level of hygiene and professionalism within the Service, describing it as the best he had witnessed in over 20 years of engaging with DSS personnel. He reiterated his earlier public statement that President Bola Tinubu made the right choice in appointing Ajayi as DSS DG.
Speaking on behalf of the others, Emele Uduma Ibe described the day as the happiest of his life, noting that the experience had taught him a valuable lesson which he would share with others. He offered prayers for the DSS boss and the Service’s management.
Recall that upon assuming office in 2024, the DG ordered a review of over 300 inherited terrorism cases. The DSS panel has since decongested its facility to about 100 cases after thorough investigations, paying over N1 billion in compensation.
The DSS boss had earlier awarded N20 million and covered the medical bills of a Jos-based businessman shot erroneously by Service personnel in Plateau State. Chineze Ozoadibe was also compensated with N10 million after wrongful arrest; Sunday Ifedi received N10 million after investigation cleared him of IPOB links; while Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor was paid N5 million after being absolved of IPOB allegations.
This is aside from numerous other cases quietly handled by the Service.
“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 aid their further reintegration into society,” the source added.
The DG, in a recent maiden media interview, admitted that as humans, the DSS is prone to mistakes. However, where there is injury, he said, there must be remedy. “Where we admit our mistakes, we offer compensation, and seek ways to improve operations in tandem with the rule of law.”
