Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), has ordered the release of four men arrested over alleged links to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and approved N20m in compensation for them after an investigation reportedly cleared them of the allegations.
Each of the four men is expected to receive N5m as an initial compensation payment, according to security sources familiar with the development.
The beneficiaries are Emele Uduma Ibe, Berefgagha Appah, Ondokeyilemi Aggry and Oyeinmokebebeton Aggry.
They were reportedly arrested in May 2022 in Sampou and Akeddei communities across Kolokuma/Opokuma and Sagbama Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State.
A security source said investigations established that the men had been misled into believing they would receive monthly payments of N100,000 under the Federal Government’s Amnesty Programme.
According to the source, they were allegedly lured into the arrangement by individuals linked to IPOB who are now facing trial.
“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,” the source said.
The release and compensation were welcomed by the suspects’ lawyer, Deji Adeyanju of Deji Adeyanju & Partners, who commended the DSS for its handling of the matter.
While receiving the four men, Adeyanju praised the agency’s efforts towards national security, particularly the DSS leadership’s approach to human rights and the treatment of suspects.
He also commended what he described as the professionalism and hygiene standards within the service, saying they were the best he had experienced in more than 20 years of interacting with DSS personnel.
The lawyer reiterated his earlier public position that President Bola Tinubu made the right choice in appointing Ajayi as the agency’s Director-General.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Ibe expressed gratitude to the DSS leadership, describing his release as one of the happiest moments of his life.
He said the experience had taught him important lessons which he intended to share with others, while offering prayers for the DSS boss and the agency’s management.
Ajayi’s handling of the case is part of a broader review of inherited terrorism-related investigations reportedly initiated after he assumed office in 2024.
According to the security sources, the DSS leadership ordered a review of more than 300 cases inherited by the agency. The exercise has reportedly reduced the number of suspects held at its facilities to about 100 following investigations into the cases.
The sources also claimed that the service had paid more than N1bn in compensation to individuals cleared after investigations.
Other cases cited include that of a Jos-based businessman who reportedly received N20m after being mistakenly shot by DSS operatives in Plateau State. The agency was also said to have paid N10m to Chineze Ozoadibe following her wrongful arrest.
Similarly, Sunday Ifedi reportedly received N10m after an investigation cleared him of alleged links to IPOB, while Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor was paid N5m after the agency found no basis for the allegations against him.
The latest compensation brings further attention to the DSS leadership’s reported efforts to address cases involving individuals detained on allegations that investigations subsequently failed to establish.
A security source said the four newly released men would receive additional assistance beyond the initial financial payments.
“Like other compensated suspects, the DSS will also offer psychological, medical support to these four in addition the initial amount given,” the source said.
The source added that the agency was expected to assist them with reintegration into society following their release.