The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has called for a thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman who died while in the custody of Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency, the Department of State Services (DSS), an admission that has reignited concern about detention practices and human rights protections in the country.
RULAAC, a civil society which demanding accountability following the DSS’s confirmation that Mrs. Calista Ifedi, who had been held since November 2021, died at the agency’s Wawa Barracks detention facility in Niger State.
For more than two years, Mrs. Ifedi’s fate remained unclear to her family and the public, despite persistent demands for information from her relatives and rights activists. On Monday, January 12, 2026, the DSS publicly acknowledged her death in custody, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates.
The revelation came via statements disseminated on social media by former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore, who said the admission underscored “lawlessness and impunity” within the DSS, particularly under the leadership of its former Director-General.
“Mrs. Calista Ifedi died at Wawa Barracks two years ago under unlawful detention by the lawless Department of State Services (DSS),” Sowore said, describing the situation as “a grave injustice” and a symbol of systemic failure.
According to Sowore and allied activists, Mrs. Ifedi, who ran a small restaurant in Enugu, was arrested along with her husband, Sunday Ifedi, on November 23, 2021. Her husband was eventually released in December 2025, but Mrs. Ifedi remained detained, with no formal charges ever presented against the couple.
Sowore and legal advocates have long maintained that her only alleged connection to criminality was that members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had purchased food from her establishment, a claim rights groups have rejected as insufficient grounds for detention.
The DSS’s confirmation also touched on concerns about her treatment while in custody. Sowore said that Mrs. Ifedi fell ill during detention and, instead of receiving proper medical care, her complaints were ignored and she was “taunted and left to deteriorate” until her death.
The activist emphasised that Mrs. Ifedi’s husband was not informed about her death by the authorities. Instead, Sowore said he personally telephoned him to convey the “devastating news” ahead of public disclosure.
“Her husband was never informed of her death. Tonight, I personally called him to convey this devastating news before making it public,” Sowore said, denouncing the tragedy as “egregious crimes.”
In response to the confirmation, RULAAC has urged Nigerian authorities to conduct a comprehensive, independent investigation into the circumstances of Mrs. Ifedi’s detention and death. While RULAAC has previously called for probes into alleged abuses by security forces in unrelated cases, its latest push follows the DSS’s rare admission of custodial death.
The group’s demands echo broader concerns about transparency and accountability in state detention facilities, particularly where due process rights and access to legal representation are concerned. Rights advocates contend that independent oversight is essential to restore public trust and ensure that such deaths are thoroughly examined and appropriately sanctioned.
Activists, including Sowore, have gone further, calling for the closure of Wawa Barracks facility, the identification and prosecution of all officials involved, and the production of Mrs. Ifedi’s body for autopsy to establish the precise cause of death.
“Every official involved in the unlawful detention, neglect, and death of Mrs. Calista Ifedi must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted,” Sowore asserted, adding that “Mrs. Calista Ifedi deserved life, dignity, and justice.”
The confirmation of Mrs. Ifedi’s death and the ensuing outcry add to ongoing debates over human rights enforcement and accountability within Nigeria’s security architecture, a conversation that has intensified as civil society groups call for reforms in detention practices and greater protections for citizens’ fundamental rights.
