Family, Lawyers Unable To Trace Sunday Ifedi, Wife Three Years After DSS Arrest Over Alleged IPOB Links – Amnesty International
Three years after their arrest by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the whereabouts of Sunday Ifedi and his wife, Calista, remain unknown, sparking concerns from human rights organization Amnesty International.
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The couple was arrested in November 2021 in Enugu and accused of having links with the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Since their arrest, neither their family members nor legal representatives have been able to ascertain their location or condition.
In a statement released on Saturday, Amnesty International condemned the prolonged detention of the couple without trial, describing it as unlawful and a violation of their fundamental human rights.
“Mr. Sunday Ifedi and his wife Calista were abducted by Nigerian security agents in Enugu on 23 November 2021 over alleged membership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). All efforts by both lawyers and family to trace their whereabouts have failed,” the statement read.
The organization urged Nigerian authorities to either release the couple immediately or charge them in court, emphasizing that such indefinite detention exposes them to potential torture and inhumane treatment.
“Amnesty International is deeply concerned that such unlawful detention puts the couple at the risk of torture and other ill-treatment. The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release them — or charge them to court,” it added.
This case is one among many reported instances of enforced disappearances in Southeast Nigeria, particularly since 2016. Amnesty International highlighted hundreds of cases where individuals have been unlawfully detained or gone missing after being arrested by security forces.
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Daughter Recalls DSS Raid
In August 2023, SaharaReporters detailed an account from Merit Ifedi, the couple’s daughter, who recounted the harrowing experience of the DSS raid on their home.
According to Merit, her parents were arrested in the early hours of November 23, 2021, when heavily armed DSS operatives stormed their residence.
“DSS raided our home and abducted my parents. I’m their first daughter and I have two other siblings. It was around 4 a.m. when they came, knocking and banging on the door. My dad woke up and told us to stay inside while he checked what was happening. At first, he thought they were robbers,” Merit narrated.
When her father opened the door, the armed officers allegedly ordered everyone to come out and surrender their mobile phones for inspection. They reportedly searched through the family’s devices using tracking equipment and claimed to have found what they were looking for on her mother’s phone.
“They did not allow us to call anyone or make any calls; they pointed guns at us. My mother gave them her phone, but they insisted there was another one she had not given them. She retrieved and charged the second phone, and when they accessed it, they said, ‘It is here,’ but they never explained what they meant by that,” she recalled.
Despite repeated pleas from the family for explanations, the DSS operatives allegedly refused to provide details and instead whisked Sunday and Calista away in a convoy of two Prado SUVs and ten Hilux vans. Since then, no one has heard from or seen the couple.
“We ran outside as they were leaving, but we couldn’t stop them. Elders from our community gathered, but all we knew was that they were DSS officers accompanied by soldiers,” Merit recounted.
Since their disappearance, the DSS has reportedly denied the family and legal representatives access to the couple, further deepening fears about their fate.
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Calls for Immediate Action
Human rights activists and legal experts have continued to demand accountability from the Nigerian government, arguing that the prolonged detention of the couple without trial is a gross violation of their rights.
Amnesty International and other advocacy groups are calling on the authorities to provide immediate information about Sunday and Calista Ifedi’s whereabouts, ensure their safety, and either release them or present them before a competent court of law.
As pressure mounts, the family remains hopeful for answers, fearing the worst but still seeking justice for their missing loved ones.
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