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The Department of State Services (DSS) has continued to detain Ogadinma Iwu and Mrs. Esther Egbom, despite subsisting High Court judgments declaring their arrest unlawful, ordering their immediate release, and awarding damages. The protracted detention, more than seven months after their arrest, has renewed concerns about institutional disregard for judicial authority in Nigeria.
The Eastern Updates gathered that these women were arrested in the early hours of February 12, 2025, when DSS operatives raided a church premises in Aba, Abia State, while searching for one Osonwa Ifeanyi, alleged to be linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its security wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN). According to their lawyer, the women were asleep when the raid occurred and were subsequently transferred from the DSS Abia office to Abuja, where they remain in custody without formal charges.
In June, their counsel, Barrister Nnaemeka Ejofor, secured favorable rulings in two separate courts: FCT High Court No. 57, which ordered the release of Esther Egbom, and High Court No. 66, Kwali, which ruled in favor of Ogadinma Iwu. Both courts awarded compensation for unlawful detention and directed the DSS and the Federal Government to comply.
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“Since April 2025, the court has ordered Ogadinma’s release,” Ejofor noted in a recent video address. “Till today, she remains in DSS detention. We are urging the authorities to respect the law. That is the only way democracy can move forward.”
Ejofor further alleged that his clients, like several other detainees across DSS and military facilities, have been denied access to their families and lawyers. He cited facilities in Owerri, Abuja, Obinze Barracks in Imo State, and Wawa Barracks in Niger State as sites where similar practices occur.
Legal analysts say the case underscores persistent tension between judicial authority and security agencies. Rights groups add that prolonged detention without trial erodes constitutional protections and undermines public trust in Nigeria’s institutions.
As of press time, neither the DSS nor the Ministry of Justice had issued a response to inquiries. For Iwu and Egbom, however, freedom remains confined to court documents, while the reality of their detention continues to highlight Nigeria’s unresolved struggles with rule of law.
