The Department of State Services (DSS) 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.
Mrs. Calista Ifedi died at Wawa Barracks two years ago under unlawful detention by the lawless Department of State Services (DSS). I share this painful account to bear witness to a grave injustice and to expose the burden of impunity inflicted on Nigerians by the DSS.
The DSS has now finally acknowledged the death of Mrs. Calista Ifedi. She was arrested alongside her husband, Sunday Ifedi, at their home in Enugu on November 23, 2021. According to her husband. who was only released in December 2025, the last time he saw his wife was in March 2022, when they were taken from DSS headquarters to Wawa Barracks, separated, and never allowed to see each other again.
Following sustained advocacy by Amnesty International Nigeria, myself, Barrister Adeyanju Deji, and many others, it became clear that Mrs. Ifedi’s so-called “offence” was that members of IPOB had allegedly bought food at her restaurant in Enugu. For this, she was violently taken away, disappeared into detention, and denied due process.
While in detention at Wawa Barracks, Mrs. Ifedi fell ill. Instead of receiving medical care, her repeated complaints were ignored. She was allegedly taunted and left to deteriorate until she died. Her husband was never informed of her death. Tonight, I personally called him to convey this devastating news before making it public.
These are egregious crimes. Nigeria must immediately shut down the Wawa Barracks detention facility. Every official involved in the unlawful detention, neglect, and death of Mrs. Calista Ifedi must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted.
This tragedy occurred during the period when Yusuf Bichi presided over the DSS with unchecked brutality, aided and protected by Abubakar Malami, SAN, under the criminal Muhammadu Buhari regime. History must not forget, and justice must not be denied.
Mrs. Calista Ifedi deserved life, dignity, and justice. Nigeria must produce her dead body, and an autopsy must be carried out to determine the circumstances of her death.
SaharaReporters