…7 suspects charged to court
The Department of State Services, (DSS), has filed terrorism charges against seven persons it says are commanders of the banned separatist group, Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, (IPOB).
In a statement issued yesterday, the DSS said the charges were filed on Wednesday against the suspects who “were accused of receiving funds and other material support from Simon Ekpa and other foreign-based members of IPOB”.
Ekpa is a Nigerian-Finnish separatist who was arrested in Finland on 21 November 2024 for terrorism-related incitement and, in 2025, sentenced to six years’ imprisonment.
The agency noted that the action was taken after uncovering extensive financial, operational, and logistical support networks allegedly tied to the suspects.
According to the DSS Deputy Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Favour Dozie, the Service filed three separate cases on 19 November, which outlined how the seven individuals allegedly received money and other material support from Ekpa and other foreign-based IPOB elements to execute attacks across the South-East region.
Investigators identified one of the accused persons, Ibrahim Ali Larabo, as an illegal immigrant from the Republic of Niger, who operated an unlicensed Bureau de Change. The DSS said he allegedly channelled and dispersed significant funds for the Ekpa-led network and facilitated terrorism-related transactions for the outlawed group.
Dozie said, “The suspects were established to be IPOB commanders, arms dealers/couriers, ESN fighters, and foot soldiers funded and directed by Simon Ekpa, who has been convicted of terror-related charges and sentenced to six years imprisonment in Finland.”
Beyond the IPOB-related cases, the DSS has also begun prosecuting ten suspects arrested over coordinated attacks in Benue and Plateau states. The arrests followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive ordering security agencies to track and apprehend the perpetrators.
Among those to be arraigned is the recently recaptured Abdulazeez Obadaki (popularly known as Bomboy), whom the DSS describes as an internationally known ISWAP figure.
