The Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has ordered the release of Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor, who had been in detention since July 2022 over alleged links to the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
Nwafor, a native of Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State, was freed after a fresh investigation by DSS operatives reportedly absolved him of any wrongdoing. In addition to regaining his freedom, he was awarded N5 million in compensation and granted free medical care on the orders of the DG.
According to credible security sources, Nwafor’s release followed a directive by Ajayi that all inherited cases be thoroughly reviewed to ensure due process and justice.
“The DG directed his investigation officers to conduct a detailed review of all pending cases, and they have been dutifully doing that. Nwafor’s case is one of such,” a source said.
The development comes barely a month after the DSS boss ordered the release and compensation of an Abuja-based businesswoman, Mrs. Chineze Ozoadibe, who was wrongfully detained by a sister security agency.
Sources described the gesture as part of Ajayi’s ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening accountability and adherence to the rule of law within the Service. Three other Abia State natives—identified as Udemba, Onyedikachi and Eze—were also said to have been released after being cleared of alleged IPOB ties.
“Mr. Tosin Ajayi acknowledges that as humans, we sometimes make mistakes. He also believes that when such mistakes are made, the right thing is to make amends,” the source added.
It was further disclosed that Ajayi has a record of compensating victims of wrongful actions by the agency. A Jos-based businessman who was shot in 2016 reportedly received N20 million from the DG—double the court-awarded N10 million that previous leaderships failed to pay.
In recent months, several detainees have been freed and compensated under similar circumstances, a trend sources attribute to ongoing reforms within the nation’s secret police since Ajayi assumed office.
