RULAAC demands justice as woman dies in DSS custody after years of secret detention

Stanley Ihedigbo

Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has expressed outrage over the confirmed death of Mrs. Calista Ifedi, who died while in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), describing the incident as a grave violation of the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights law.

In a statement signed by the Executive Director, RULAAC, Com. Okechukwu Nwanguma, stated the DSS’s belated admission that Mrs. Ifedi died in its custody at Wawa Barracks, Abuja, exposes what it described as a disturbing pattern of unlawful detention, enforced disappearance, medical neglect and institutional impunity.

Mrs. Ifedi was arrested alongside her husband, Mr. Sunday Ifedi, at their residence in Enugu on November 23, 2021. According to RULAAC, her detention was allegedly linked to claims that members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had purchased food from her restaurant, an accusation the organisation described as baseless and unlawful.

Following their arrest, both were reportedly detained indefinitely without charge, denied access to legal counsel and the courts, and held incommunicado.

RULAAC noted that sustained advocacy by civil society organisations, including Amnesty International Nigeria, later confirmed that Mrs. Ifedi had been in DSS custody despite repeated official denials.

Mr. Sunday Ifedi, who was released only in December 2025, reportedly told rights groups that the last time he saw his wife was in March 2022, when they were transferred from the DSS headquarters to Wawa Barracks.

According to him, the couple were separated upon arrival and never allowed to see each other again. He was never informed of his wife’s death while in detention.

RULAAC said credible information indicates that while detained at Wawa Barracks, Mrs. Ifedi fell seriously ill and repeatedly complained of severe chest pains.

Instead of being given proper medical care, her condition was allegedly dismissed by DSS personnel, who reportedly mocked her complaints and administered only ulcer medication.

“She was left to deteriorate until she eventually died,” the organisation said, adding that even when civil society organisations demanded her release on medical and legal grounds, the DSS denied holding her in custody.

The human rights group described the circumstances surrounding Mrs. Ifedi’s death as amounting to unlawful detention, enforced disappearance, torture through medical neglect and extrajudicial killing, all of which are prohibited under Nigerian and international law.

RULAAC also raised concern over allegations that the DSS has issued non-disclosure threats to Mr. Sunday Ifedi, warning him against speaking publicly about his detention or the circumstances of his wife’s death.

The organisation said such actions constitute intimidation, abuse of power and obstruction of justice.

“This tragedy occurred during a period of unchecked brutality and secrecy within the DSS and reflects a broader pattern of impunity and contempt for the rule of law,” RULAAC said.

“Mrs. Calista Ifedi was an innocent civilian and a food vendor whose life was unlawfully taken by an agency mandated to protect lives, not destroy them.”

The organisation demanded immediate public disclosure of the full circumstances surrounding Mrs. Ifedi’s detention, illness and death, as well as the production of her remains and the conduct of an independent autopsy to determine the cause of death.

RULAAC also called for the immediate closure of Wawa Barracks as a detention facility, an independent and impartial investigation into the DSS and its chain of command, and the arrest and prosecution of all officials found complicit in the alleged violations.

In addition, the group demanded protection for the Ifedi family from intimidation or reprisals and the immediate cessation of all gag orders or non-disclosure threats.

“Mrs. Calista Ifedi deserved life, dignity and justice,” the statement concluded. “Her death must not be buried under official silence. Accountability is not optional; it is a legal and moral obligation.”

RULAAC said it stands in solidarity with the Ifedi family and all victims of secret detention and state brutality in Nigeria, warning that justice delayed must not be allowed to become justice denied.