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IPOB Lawyer Claims PA Murdered, Relatives Still Held by DSS
Lead Lawyer to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has called on the new Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, to clean the mess perpetrated by his predecessor, Yusuf Magaji Bichi.
He also advised that he should profile those wrongfully arrested and still detained illegally and order for their immediate and unconditional freedom.
Ejiofor said the trending video about the jubilation among personnel of the DSS following the announcement of a new DG has confirmed that Bichi was a tyrant and failure.
The lawyer in a statement in Abuja said under Bichi’s leadership, the DSS was operated as an entity separate from those established, defined and recognised by the existing laws of Nigeria.
He said, “Under Bichi’s watch, my Personal Assistant, Samuel Okoro, was brutally murdered during a bloody invasion of my ancestral home, and three of my wards namely- Felix Okonkwo, Ikenna Chibuike and Okafor Lawrence Ugochukwu, were abducted in the dead of the night by those specifically assigned to carry out the hatchet assignment; they were briefly detained at the State Security Service Headquarters in Abuja, and despite subsisting court orders, were secretly transferred to Wawa Barracks in Niger State, where they are currently held in solitary confinement in clear violation of successive orders of court.
“I have been observing the overwhelming jubilation seen in this video among the personnel of the State Security Service following the announcement of the new Director General and the sudden removal of the former DG, Mr. Yusuf Magaji Bichi, who held sway at the helms of affairs of the Service, since his appointment by Buhari administration on September 14 2018, till his unceremonious resignation on August 26 2024.
“The loud celebration marking the departure of this despot, signals the unceremonious end of an infamous tenure; an era marked by the most egregious violations of citizens’ civil rights, disregard for constitutional orders, and blatant contempt for the rule of law.
“Also during his unpopular tenure, the Igbo people were particularly targeted, vilified, and subjected to enforced disappearances. Innocent individuals were ruthlessly hunted down, and many have been missing without a trace to this day.
“Today, thousands of Igbo men and women, young and old, are illegally detained in SSS custody under Bichi’s command, denied the opportunity to be tried in any court of law.
“Welfare of the personnel of the Service was grossly undermined during this despotic tenure, no wonder the wild celebrations that greeted his unceremonious exit.
“While I do not condone or support those who commit heinous crimes against humanity under any guise, I have always maintained that such criminals should be carefully identified and dealt with according to the law.
“Based on the reputable track record of the current DG, he appears to be a true democrat — tested, trusted, and deserving of support and encouragement from every quarters. Although it will require significant political will and courage to clean up the mess left by his predecessor, but the unprecedented jubilation among the personnel suggests that he will succeed and succeed overwhelmingly.
“As a member of the human rights community, I believe Mr. Adeola Ajayi should receive the full cooperation, respect, and support necessary to succeed, especially during these challenging times when insecurity is rampant across all spectrums of the Nigerian state.
“I respectfully appeal to the incoming DG to use the machineries of his good offices to profile those wrongfully arrested and still detained illegally, and to order for their immediate and unconditional release. We pray that the current DG will succeed and surpass all expectations.”
Gunmen have abducted some female students of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University in Makurdi, Benue state.
The students, reportedly numbering up to four, were abducted on Tuesday evening at the university’s North Core campus.
The students were said to have been headed for “night class”, a practice of late-night studying in Nigerian campuses.
The gunmen were said to have invaded the hotel area of the campus before abducting the four students.
Some moments after the incident, operatives of the Nigerian army arrived at the school.
Sewuese Anene, Benue police spokesperson, told TheCable on Wednesday that a report received by the police indicated that only two students were kidnapped during the incident.
Anene added that the police have launched an investigation into the matter.
The Markurdi incident is the latest in a series of abductions targeted at Nigeria’s tertiary school students in recent years.
In August 2024, at least 20 medical and dental students were kidnapped in Benue State while travelling to a convention in Enugu.
In September 2023, gunmen abducted approximately 20 students from a university in Zamfara state.
At Greenfield University in Kaduna State, at least 20 students and two staff members were kidnapped in April 2021.
Tragically, five students were killed during captivity before the remaining hostages were released after a month.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Jude Okoye, the elder brother and former manager of Paul and Peter Okoye of the defunct music group, P-Square, on charges of laundering ₦1.38billion, $ 1 million and £34,537.59.
Jude was arraigned alongside his company, Northside Music Ltd, before Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on a seven-count charge
One of the counts read: “That you, Jude Okoye Chigozie and Northside Music Ltd sometime in 2022, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did directly acquire a landed property known as No 5, Tony Eromosele Street Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos worth ₦850,000,000.00 (Eight hundred and fifty million naira) only, which money you knew or reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful act and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (2) (d) and punishable under Section 18 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
Another count read: “That you, Jude Okoye Chigozie and Northside Music Ltd sometime in 2022, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did indirectly using bureau de change convert the sum of $1,019,762.87 (One million nineteen thousand, seven hundred and six-two dollars eighty-seven cents), domiciled in Access Bank Plc operated by Northside Music Lid to the naira equivalent and remitted into various bank accounts with the intention of concealing that the said fund form part of the proceeds of an unlawful act and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (2)(a) and punishable under Section 18 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, Larry Peters Aso, applied for a date for hearing as well as for the remand of the defendant in the correctional facility pending trial.
The defendant’s counsel, Inibehe Effiong, informed the court of a pending bail application. He asked for a short date for the hearing. Effiong also asked that the defendant be remanded in the EFCC’s custody pending the hearing of the application.
Aso objected to the request for the defendant to be remanded in the EFCC custody. He argued that the EFCC custody was already congested with suspects awaiting arraignment. He urged the court to remand the defendant to the correctional facility since he had taken his plea.
Justice Owoeye adjourned the matter till February 28 for bail hearing and April 14 for trial.
He also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi correctional facility.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Kogi-born political activist and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Austin Okai, in Abuja.
The arrest, which took place on Wednesday morning, was reportedly carried out on the directive of Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.
Video footage obtained by Elanza shows heavily armed security operatives storming Okai’s residence in the Federal Capital Territory before taking him away.
While no official reason has been given for his arrest, sources suggest it may be connected to his outspoken criticism of the Kogi State government.
Okai, a well-known opposition figure, has frequently condemned the administration’s policies and governance.
His wife, speaking to reporters, claimed that the DSS operatives did not present an arrest warrant before detaining him.
“They came to arrest him at our home in Abuja without a warrant,” she said.
“They ransacked our house, forced their way inside, and took him away. I asked for a warrant, but they had none.”
She further alleged that Okai’s personal gadgets were confiscated during the operation.
As of the time of this report, the DSS has not issued any official statement regarding Okai’s detention.