A retired senior officer of the Department of State Services (DSS), Nwaogu Ihechimere Ezeakolam, has accused senior officials of the agency of subjecting him to death threats, torture, intimidation and a 21-day detention without due process after he challenged the leadership of the Association of Retired Department of State Services Officers of Nigeria (ARODSSON), FCT Chapter, over alleged financial mismanagement and constitutional breaches.
In a series of petitions dated March 20, 2026, May 5, 2026, and another submission presented before an internal ARODSSON panel, Ezeakolam alleged that DSS operatives acted on what he described as a malicious petition orchestrated by the Chairman of ARODSSON FCT Chapter, James Kadiri Maha (retd.), in collaboration with the Head of Special Operations, identified as Ali Bindu, leading to his arrest, detention, torture and eventual prosecution.
In separate petitions addressed to the Director-General of the DSS, Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, Ezeakolam accused Ali Bindu and unnamed collaborators of criminal conspiracy, intimidation, abuse of office, and threats against his life and those of his wife and children.
According to Ezeakolam, his ordeal began after he insisted on transparency and accountability in the management of welfare funds belonging to retired DSS officers.
He said that on March 17, 2026, at about 1:46 p.m., he received a missed call and a text message directing him to report for an interview with the Director of Special Operations.
Initially, he believed the invitation was connected to intelligence reports he routinely submitted to the DSS following his retirement in April 2010.
However, after making enquiries, he said he discovered that the invitation stemmed from a petition allegedly written against him.
According to him, he politely requested information about the allegations and the identity of the petitioner. He also sought transport assistance because he lacked transport fare.
Rather than receiving clarification, he alleged that the officers who contacted him responded with insults and threats.
“What I got from the number, with two or more different voices, for asking to know the nature of the petition and requesting transport fare was a vitriolic salvo, threats, injurious statements and hate speech,” he wrote.
Ezeakolam argued that the DSS invitation violated the principles of natural justice and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, insisting that suspects are entitled to know the allegations against them before interrogation.
He linked the threats to his role as Secretary of the Welfare Committee of ARODSSON FCT Chapter, where he said he consistently challenged alleged violations of the association’s constitution and financial irregularities.
According to him, the dispute escalated after he prepared a welfare committee report and memorandum dated December 13, 2025, urging the leadership to distribute welfare funds to members in line with the association’s constitution.
He alleged that after submitting the memo, members of the executive began accusing him of being a fake retired DSS officer, carrying fake identity cards and attempting to defraud the Service.
Arrest Inside DSS Headquarters
In his May 5 petition to the DSS Director-General, Ezeakolam said events took a dramatic turn on April 7, 2026, when he visited the DSS National Headquarters to submit intelligence reports on security issues affecting Nigeria’s South-East.
According to him, while inside the office complex of the Assistant Director-General of Operations at about 12:30 p.m., he was suddenly apprehended by officers.
“I was suddenly seized, arrested, tortured and detained by officers and men of the NHSS who promptly informed me that they were acting strictly on the directives and orders of the DG SSS (DSS),” he alleged.
He claimed he remained in custody until about 7:00 p.m., when he was taken before an Assistant Director of Security Investigations identified only as Dayo.
According to him, despite repeated requests, he was never informed of the offence he was alleged to have committed.
Instead, he said the officer instructed him to summarise “everything” in writing so that his superiors could decide whether to release him.
Ezeakolam said he objected, insisting that investigators first disclose the allegations against him.
‘I’ll Chain Your Neck, Hands And Legs’
One of the most serious allegations contained in his petition concerns an encounter on April 12, 2026.
Ezeakolam said he was brought out of detention and introduced to a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council.
He maintained that he could not make any statement because he had not been informed of the allegations against him and had not been shown the petition.
According to him, this angered the Assistant Director of Security Investigations.
“This got the ADSI frustrated and infuriated and he further threatened to chain my neck, hands and legs together and to unleash ten young officers to thoroughly beat me, accusing me of undermining the DG SSS and the SSS as a government institution,” he alleged.
He described the threat as one of the most traumatic moments of his detention.
Claims About Ahmad Salkida’s Detention
Ezeakolam also recounted an incident he claimed to have witnessed while in detention on April 15, 2026.
According to him, a detainee whom he identified as journalist Ahmad Salkida was brought into the detention facility after being arrested near his residence in Abuja.
He alleged that Salkida told him he had been intercepted by heavily armed operatives while his children were forced to lie face down on the road before he was taken away.
Ezeakolam further claimed that he later witnessed a conference telephone conversation involving two Assistant Directors-General and the DSS Director-General, during which the DG apologised to Salkida over the incident and promised disciplinary action against the officers involved.
Petition Allegedly Branded Him IPOB Commander
Ezeakolam said that after spending 15 days in detention, investigators eventually showed him the petition that led to his arrest.
According to him, the petition, dated March 4, 2026, was prepared by James Kadiri Maha and signed by Daniel Okoliko, Public Relations Officer of ARODSSON FCT Chapter.
He alleged that the petition falsely described him as: An “IPOB and unknown gunmen commander” in Abuja; a fake retired DSS officer; a promoter of hatred against the Federal Government; and “someone planning to bomb DSS headquarters with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).”
He said investigators initially refused to allow him to read the petition personally and also withheld his reading glasses.
“I promptly informed them that I have to respond to the petition before we can proceed with the electronic recording of my statements, adding that it was the proper and professional thing to do in line with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015,” he stated.
According to him, when his lawyer, Barrister Chibueze Edmond, insisted that investigators disclose the allegations before taking his statement, officers became angry and resisted the request.
Court Arraignment After 21 Days
Ezeakolam further stated that on April 27, 2026, after spending 21 days in DSS custody, he was arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja.
He said he was charged with one count of allegedly inciting the public and spreading hatred against the Federal Government, the DSS Director-General and President Bola Tinubu on the ARODSSON WhatsApp platform.
He pleaded not guilty.
According to him, the court granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 with two civil servants on Grade Level 10 as sureties but remanded him in Keffi Prison until the bail conditions were met.
Missing Personal Belongings
Ezeakolam said that when he returned to the DSS headquarters on April 29 to retrieve his belongings, officers were only able to produce his food flask, underwear and toothpaste.
He alleged that his prescription glasses, two mobile phones, chargers, acknowledged copies of his intelligence reports and his retired officers’ access tag were missing.
Allegations Against ARODSSON Leadership
Beyond his detention, Ezeakolam levelled extensive allegations against the leadership of the ARODSSON FCT Chapter.
He accused Chairman James Kadiri Maha of remaining in office for about 14 years despite constitutional term limits, misappropriating more than N72 million belonging to the association, diverting the DSS monthly welfare grant meant for members, spending over N5 million without members’ approval, violating multiple provisions of the association’s constitution, running the association as a personal enterprise, and using his influence within the DSS to intimidate critics and manipulate internal disciplinary processes against dissenting members.
He further alleged that a N1 million monthly welfare grant approved by the DSS Director-General for retired officers was diverted away from members under the guise of charity projects.
According to him, he consistently demanded annual financial audits, transparency and accountability within the association.
Calls For Investigation
In his petitions, Ezeakolam urged the DSS Director-General to order an independent investigation into the allegations against Ali Bindu, James Kadiri Maha and others.
Quoting Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, he concluded one of his petitions by stating: “There may be times we are too powerless to prevent injustice but there may never be a time when we fail to protest.”
He appealed to the DSS leadership to investigate the alleged threats against his life and those of his wife, children and family, insisting that his arrest, detention and prosecution were consequences of his campaign for transparency and accountability within ARODSSON.
(SaharaReporters)