Former presidential candidate and activist, Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that Mrs. Calista Ifedi, who was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2021 over alleged links to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has died while in custody at the agency’s Wawa Barracks detention facility.
Sowore made the allegation on Monday in a statement posted on his official X account, describing Mrs. Ifedi’s detention and death as a “grave abuse of power” and a tragic failure of the Nigerian state to protect life.
According to him, Mrs. Ifedi was unlawfully detained without due process and denied adequate medical care until her death.
Sowore said Mrs. Ifedi was arrested alongside her husband, Sunday Ifedi, at their residence in Enugu on November 23, 2021. The couple was initially held at the DSS headquarters before being transferred to Wawa Barracks in March 2022, where they were separated and allegedly never allowed to see each other again.
He stated that Mr. Ifedi, who was released from detention in December 2025, last saw his wife in March 2022 and was never informed of her death while she remained in custody.
The activist said sustained advocacy by Amnesty International Nigeria, human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju, and other campaigners later revealed that Mrs. Ifedi’s alleged offence was that members of IPOB had purchased food from her restaurant in Enugu.
Sowore further alleged that while detained at Wawa Barracks, Mrs. Ifedi fell ill but was denied medical treatment, ignored, and allegedly taunted by officials until she died. He said he personally informed Mr. Ifedi of his wife’s death before making the information public.
Describing the incident as an “egregious crime,” Sowore demanded the immediate closure of the Wawa Barracks detention facility and called for the identification, arrest, and prosecution of all officials involved in Mrs. Ifedi’s detention, neglect, and death.
He also linked the incident to the period when Yusuf Bichi served as Director-General of the DSS, alleging that abuses occurred under his leadership with the backing of officials in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Sowore called on Nigerian authorities to produce Mrs. Ifedi’s body and conduct an autopsy to determine the circumstances surrounding her death, insisting that she deserved “life, dignity, and justice.”
In a separate statement, Sowore said:
“The Department of State Services (@OfficialDSSNG) has admitted that Mrs. Calista Ifedi, who was detained since 2021 for allegedly selling food to IPOB members, died while in custody at Wawa Barracks. Her detention was unlawful, she was denied due process, and reports indicate she fell ill in custody without receiving adequate medical care.
“This admission confirms a grave abuse of power and a tragic failure of the Nigerian state to protect life.”
