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.”
