The Department of State Services (DSS) has released four people detained over alleged links to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and approved ₦20 million in compensation for them.
The decision was approved by the DSS Director-General, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, following investigations into the circumstances surrounding their arrest and detention.
The four beneficiaries are Emele Uduma Ibe, Berefgagha Appah, Ondokeyilemi Aggry and Oyeinmokebebeton Aggry.
According to security sources quoted by Vanguard, the men were arrested in May 2022 over allegations that they were attempting to establish an IPOB camp in Sampou and Akeddei communities in Bayelsa State.
Why DSS arrested the four men in Bayelsa
The four men were reportedly arrested in communities within Kolokuma/Opokuma and Sagbama Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State.
Security sources said subsequent investigations showed that they were still at the recruitment stage when they were arrested.
One source disclosed that the men had allegedly been misled into believing they would receive a monthly payment of ₦100,000 under the Federal Government’s Amnesty Programme.
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The sources added that the investigation findings, the men’s remorse and their conduct while in detention influenced the decision to release them and approve compensation.
DSS DG approves ₦20m compensation
The latest release is part of a series of decisions by Ajayi involving people detained over alleged IPOB activities.
According to the report, the DSS chief has approved financial compensation in previous cases involving other detainees.
In November 2025, the agency released Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor, who was arrested in July 2022 over alleged IPOB involvement. Ajayi also approved ₦5 million in compensation for him.
Before Nwafor’s release, three men from Abia State – Augustine Udemba, Nelson Onyedikachi Udemba and Ifesinachi Eze – were also released and each received ₦5 million.
Earlier, in October 2025, the DSS released Abuja-based businesswoman Chineze Ozoadibe and approved ₦10 million in compensation for her.
DSS acknowledges possibility of mistakes
A security source said the Service recognised that, like other human institutions, it could make mistakes in carrying out its responsibilities.
The source added that Ajayi had pledged that whenever such errors were identified, the agency would acknowledge them, provide compensation where appropriate and take steps to improve its operations.
The approach, according to the source, is intended to strengthen the DSS’s commitment to the rule of law and accountability.
The latest development highlights the agency’s reported efforts to review some detention cases and address mistakes identified through its investigations.
