The Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has ordered the release of Mr Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor, who was arrested in July 2022 over alleged involvement with the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Nwafor, from Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State, was awarded ₦5 million in compensation and offered free medical care after a fresh investigation by the Service cleared him of wrongdoing.
A credible security source confirmed that the decision followed the DG’s directive for all inherited cases to be thoroughly reviewed to ensure due process, fairness and timely justice.
“The DG directed his investigation officers to conduct detailed reviews of all pending cases, and Nwafor’s case is one of such,” the source said.
The gesture, according to the source, reflects the DG’s commitment to rule of law, accountability and reforms aimed at correcting past errors within the Service. Three other Abia indigenes — Udemba, Onyedikachi and Eze — previously detained on suspicion of belonging to IPOB were also released following similar reviews.
The latest directive comes barely a month after the DG ordered the release and compensation of Abuja-based businesswoman, Mrs Chineze Ozoadibe.
The source further recalled that Ajayi had earlier paid ₦20 million in compensation to a Jos-based businessman who was mistakenly shot by operatives during a 2016 operation, doubling the ₦10 million originally awarded by the court.
“This has become the trend since the new DSS leadership,” the source added. “Mr Ajayi believes mistakes can happen, but when they occur, the right thing is to make amends.”
