IPOB Slams Four-Year Detention of Igbo Youths, Demands Compensation, Public Apology From FG And DSS 6th, Nov. 2026 The Indigenous People of...
IPOB Slams Four-Year Detention of Igbo Youths, Demands Compensation, Public Apology From FG And DSS
6th, Nov. 2026
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has demanded compensation and a public apology from the Nigerian government and the Department of State Services (DSS) following the release of four Igbo youths wrongfully detained for four years over suspected membership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) .
The group described the prolonged detention as a grave injustice, insisting that the release of the four young men, although welcome, cannot erase the years lost to unlawful incarceration, disrupted education, destroyed livelihoods and psychological trauma suffered by the detainees and their families.
In a press briefing dated November 6, 2026, the Directorate of State (DOS) of IPOB said the release of the youths was the right decision but maintained that their arrest and detention should never have occurred in the first place.
The statement, signed by DOS Press Secretary, Dr. C. Okadigbo, said the four youths had lost critical years of their lives, businesses, educational opportunities and personal dignity, while their parents and loved ones endured what it described as enormous psychological torture.
IPOB consequently called on the DSS Director-General and the Federal Government to ensure adequate compensation for the released youths, stressing that financial reparations, though necessary, could never fully restore the years and dignity taken from them.
The organisation also demanded a formal public apology from the DSS to the youths and their families over what it described as wrongful arrest, detention and ethnic profiling. It further insisted that their names be cleared from public and criminal records.
IPOB Raises Alarm Over Alleged Continued Detention of Igbo Youths
Beyond the release of the four detainees, IPOB raised concerns over what it described as the continued detention of thousands of innocent Igbo youths in security and military facilities across the country.
The group listed detention locations including Abuja, Lagos, Owerri, Awka, Enugu, Aba, Umuahia, Onitsha and Wawa military detention centre, alleging that many of the detainees were held merely on suspicion of belonging to IPOB.
IPOB insisted that being Igbo, being young, identifying with Biafran activism or possessing a Biafran flag should not constitute grounds for arrest or detention.
It questioned what it described as discriminatory treatment of Biafran youths for displaying Biafran symbols on their mobile phones or in private environments, arguing that other ethnic groups freely display their national symbols without comparable persecution.
Demands Immediate Judicial Review of Detention Cases
The organisation called on the Federal Government to direct the DSS Director-General to initiate an immediate and independent judicial review of all cases involving Igbo youths detained on the basis of suspected IPOB membership.
It demanded the immediate release and appropriate compensation of all detainees against whom no credible evidence of criminal activity exists, insisting that prolonged detention without sufficient legal justification constitutes a serious violation of their fundamental rights.
IPOB said it expected the Federal Government and relevant security agencies to take immediate action, adding that the release of the four youths should mark the beginning of a broader process of justice for other innocent detainees.
The statement was signed by Dr. C. Okadigbo, Press Secretary, Directorate of State, IPOB.
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