The Department of State Services (DSS) has finally confirmed that Mrs. Calista Ifedi, who had been in its custody since November 2021, died while detained at Wawa Barracks in Niger State. The confirmation comes after more than two years of silence, during which her family and human rights groups repeatedly demanded clarity about her whereabouts and condition.
The disclosure was made public on Monday evening by former presidential candidate and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, who described the development as a disturbing reflection of impunity within the security agency during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Mrs. Calista Ifedi died at Wawa Barracks two years ago under unlawful detention by the lawless Department of State Services (DSS),” Sowore said. “I share this painful account to expose a grave injustice and the burden of impunity inflicted on Nigerians.”
Mrs. Ifedi, a small-scale restaurant owner in Enugu, was arrested alongside her husband, Sunday Ifedi, at their residence on November 23, 2021. According to her husband, the couple was detained without formal charges and held arbitrarily for years. Sunday Ifedi was only released from custody in December 2025.
Human rights advocates, including Amnesty International Nigeria and lawyer Deji Adeyanju, have consistently maintained that Mrs. Ifedi’s only alleged “offence” was that members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) patronised her food business. She was reportedly violently arrested, taken into DSS custody, and subsequently disappeared from public view.
Sowore alleged that while detained at Wawa Barracks, Mrs. Ifedi fell seriously ill but was denied medical attention. Instead, her pleas were allegedly ignored as her condition worsened.
“Rather than receiving care, she was taunted and neglected until she died,” he said.
Sunday Ifedi revealed that the last time he saw his wife was in March 2022, when they were transferred from DSS headquarters to Wawa Barracks and separated. He said he was never informed of her death and only learned of it when Sowore personally called him ahead of the public announcement.
“Her husband was never informed of her death,” Sowore stated. “These are egregious crimes. Nigeria must shut down the Wawa Barracks detention facility, and all officials involved in her unlawful detention, neglect, and death must be identified and prosecuted.”
The development has triggered renewed condemnation of the DSS, with activists accusing the agency of operating above the law and trampling on citizens’ fundamental rights. Sowore specifically blamed the leadership of the DSS under Yusuf Bichi, alleging that the agency acted with unchecked brutality, allegedly shielded by legal authorities during the Buhari administration.
“Mrs. Calista Ifedi deserved life, dignity, and justice,” Sowore said, calling on the government to produce her body and conduct an independent autopsy to establish the true circumstances surrounding her death.
The case has intensified calls for accountability within Nigeria’s security institutions and reopened debates about unlawful detention, abuse of power, and the protection of human rights in the country.
