The Department of State Services (DSS) has released four men arrested over alleged membership of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and approved N20m compensation for them.
The secret service agency said each of the men would receive N5m after investigations cleared them of the allegations.
The four men are Emele Uduma Ibe, Berefgagha Appah, Ondokeyilemi Aggry and Oyeinmokebebeton Aggry.
A statement by DSS said they were arrested in May 2022 in Sampou and Akeddei communities in Kolokuma/Opokuma and Sagbama Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State.
‘The Agency established that they had been misled into believing that they would each receive a monthly payment of N100,000 under the Federal Government’s Amnesty Programme, not knowing that they were being lured by a group of IPOB members who are now facing trial,’ the statement said.
The suspects’ lawyer, Deji Adeyanju of Deji Adeyanju and Partners, commended the service for its efforts towards safeguarding national security and respecting human rights.
He also praised the Director-General of the DSS, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, for what he described as his genuine commitment to upholding human rights.
Speaking on behalf of the released men, Ibe described the day as the happiest of his life, saying the experience had taught him a valuable lesson he would share with others.
The statement recalled that Ajayi, upon assuming office in 2024, ordered a review of more than 300 inherited terrorism-related cases.
It said the exercise had reduced the number of suspects held in the agency’s facility to about 100 following investigations, while more than N1bn had been paid in compensation.