The Department of State Services (DSS) has allegedly for the first time officially acknowledged that Mrs. Calista Ifedi, who had been held in detention since November 2021, died while in custody at Wawa Barracks in Niger State, says former presidential hopeful and activist, Omoyele Sowore. The admission follows more than two years of silence from the security agency and intense public scrutiny.
The confirmation was highlighted in statements released late Monday by Sowore, who condemned the circumstances surrounding Mrs. Ifedi’s detention and death as a grave abuse of power.
The DSS has yet to issue a detailed public statement clarifying the circumstances or explaining procedural failings.
It was gathered that Mrs. Ifedi died when Mr. Yusuf Bichi was the Director-General of the DSS under the administration of Late President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Mr. Sowore and legal advocates:
Mrs. Ifedi, a restaurant owner from Enugu, was arrested alongside her husband, Mr. Sunday Ifedi, at their home on 23 November 2021, reportedly over alleged association with members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The couple were initially held at DSS headquarters before being transferred in March 2022 to Wawa Barracks, a military facility in Niger State. The couple were later separated, and Mr. Ifedi has not seen his wife since that transfer.
Mr. Ifedi was released in December 2025, yet was never informed of his wife’s passing until contacted recently by Mr. Sowore before the story was made public.
Human rights groups and activists have long argued that the detention was unlawful and without due process, as no formal charges were filed and basic legal rights were denied. They assert the alleged offence centered on Mrs. Ifedi simply selling food to individuals who were later accused of being IPOB members — an allegation that does not in itself constitute a crime.
Advocates also detailed that Mrs. Ifedi fell seriously ill in detention, but that her complaints were reportedly ignored and she was denied adequate medical care — conditions that contributed to her deterioration and eventual death.
In his public response, Sowore called for:
▪︎The immediate closure of the Wawa Barracks detention facility;
▪︎The identification, arrest, and prosecution of DSS and other officials involved in her detention, neglect, and death;
▪︎The production of Mrs. Ifedi’s remains and a full autopsy to clarify the cause of her death.
The case has intensified longstanding human rights concerns about security agency abuses in Nigeria, particularly regarding detention practices and due process. The DSS has yet to issue a detailed public statement clarifying the circumstances or explaining procedural failings.
It was gathered that Mrs. Ifedi died when Mr. Yusuf Bichi was the Director-General of the DSS under the administration of Late President Muhammadu Buhari.
Prior documentation from Amnesty International earlier reported that Sunday and Calista Ifedi were forcibly taken by state agents in November 2021, detained incommunicado, and that Calista’s health had significantly deteriorated in custody before she was last seen alive at Wawa Barracks — though at that time her death had not been officially confirmed. DSS officially confirms death in custody of Mrs. Calista Ifedi in Wawa Barracks
The Department of State Services (DSS) has for the first time officially acknowledged that Mrs. Calista Ifedi, who had been held in detention since November 2021, died while in custody at Wawa Barracks in Niger State. The admission follows more than two years of silence from the security agency and intense public scrutiny.
The confirmation was highlighted in statements released late Monday by human rights campaigner and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, who condemned the circumstances surrounding Mrs. Ifedi’s detention and death as a grave abuse of power.
According to Mr. Sowore and legal advocates:
Mrs. Ifedi, a restaurant owner from Enugu, was arrested alongside her husband, Mr. Sunday Ifedi, at their home on 23 November 2021, reportedly over alleged association with members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The couple were initially held at DSS headquarters before being transferred in March 2022 to Wawa Barracks, a military facility in Niger State. The couple were later separated, and Mr. Ifedi has not seen his wife since that transfer.
Mr. Ifedi was released in December 2025, yet was never informed of his wife’s passing until contacted recently by Mr. Sowore before the story was made public.
Human rights groups and activists have long argued that the detention was unlawful and without due process, as no formal charges were filed and basic legal rights were denied. They assert the alleged offence centered on Mrs. Ifedi simply selling food to individuals who were later accused of being IPOB members — an allegation that does not in itself constitute a crime.
Advocates also detailed that Mrs. Ifedi fell seriously ill in detention, but that her complaints were reportedly ignored and she was denied adequate medical care — conditions that contributed to her deterioration and eventual death.
In his public response, Sowore called for:
The immediate closure of the Wawa Barracks detention facility;
▪︎The identification, arrest, and prosecution of DSS and other officials involved in her detention, neglect, and death;
The production of Mrs. Ifedi’s remains and a full autopsy to clarify the cause of her death.
▪︎The case has intensified longstanding human rights concerns about security agency abuses in Nigeria, particularly regarding detention practices and due process.
Prior documentation from Amnesty International earlier reported that Sunday and Calista Ifedi were forcibly taken by state agents in November 2021, detained incommunicado, and that Calista’s health had significantly deteriorated in custody before she was last seen alive at Wawa Barracks — though at that time her death had not been officially confirmed.
