The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has ordered the release of Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor, who was arrested in July 2022 over alleged involvement with the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB). The DSS also awarded him N5 million in compensation and granted him free medical care.
According to security sources, the DSS conducted a detailed reinvestigation into Nwafor’s case and concluded that he was wrongfully detained. This release follows Ajayi’s directive to review all pending cases inherited by his leadership to ensure due process and justice.
The move is part of a broader pattern by Ajayi to correct past mistakes, sources say. In recent months, the DSS has released other individuals, including three men from Abia State who were also associated with IPOB, and has paid compensations in several other high-profile wrongful-detention cases.
Officials close to the DSS say that Ajayi’s actions reflect a renewed culture of accountability in the agency, aimed at restoring public trust and reinforcing the rule of law.
