DSS Frees 4 cleared of IPOB Membership, Pays N20m Compensation

The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DGSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has released four suspects and granted them an initial N20 million in compensation, as they were cleared of alleged membership in the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The four individuals, Emele Uduma Ibe, Berefgagha Appah, Ondokeyilemi Aggry, and Oyeinmokebebeton Aggry, were apprehended in May 2022 in Sampou and Akeddei communities of Kolokuma/Opokuma and Sagbama Local Government Areas in Bayelsa State.

The DSS stated that these suspects were tricked into believing they would receive a monthly payment of N100,000 under the Federal Government's Amnesty Programme, unaware that they were being targeted by a group of IPOB members slated for trial. Counsel to the suspects, Deji Adeyanju & Partners, expressed appreciation for the DSS's efforts in preserving Nigeria's security while upholding human rights.

Emele Uduma Ibe, speaking on behalf of the others, described the day as the happiest of his life and thanked the DGSS boss for his actions. Under the DG's leadership, over 300 inherited terrorism cases have been reviewed, decongesting the DSS facility to around 100 individuals who have been thoroughly investigated and compensated.

The DSS has also paid N20 million to cover medical bills, N10 million to Chineze Ozoadibe for wrongful arrest, N10 million to Sunday Ifedi for being cleared of ties with IPOB, and N5 million to Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor after his innocence was proven. The DSS has assured further psychological, medical, and reintegration support for these four individuals.