Mrs Uchechi Okwu-Kanu, wife of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has demanded an independent investigation into the arrest, prolonged detention and treatment of Onyeaka Ozioma Elizabeth, who she alleged was held for more than five years without her family knowing whether she was alive.
Okwu-Kanu also demanded an account of every person allegedly being held incommunicado at the Wawa Military Detention Centre in Kainji, Niger State, following the emergence of a video showing Ozioma at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and shared on X, Okwu-Kanu said Ozioma was seen at the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 15, 2026, where she reportedly disclosed that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested her at 3-3, Onitsha, Anambra State, more than five years earlier.
According to the account, Ozioma was subsequently taken to the Wawa detention facility in Kainji, where she was allegedly held without access to her family or a lawyer before eventually being brought to Abuja to face trial.
Okwu-Kanu said the development raises serious questions about the legality of prolonged incommunicado detention and the rights of detainees accused of involvement in separatist activities.
She said Ozioma provided her sister’s telephone number to the person who recorded the video. When the sister was contacted, she reportedly expressed disbelief that Ozioma was still alive.
“Think about that. For more than five years, a family did not know whether their daughter and sister was alive or dead,” Okwu-Kanu said.
She added that Ozioma was allegedly removed from everything and everyone she knew, transported from Anambra State to Kainji in Niger State, and later brought to Abuja to face trial.
Okwu-Kanu questioned how a fair trial could be conducted after years of alleged isolation and lack of access to family members and legal representation.
“What manner of trial or justice can emerge from detention of this nature? How does a person adequately defend herself after allegedly being denied access to her family and legal representation for years?” she asked.
She further demanded answers concerning the alleged psychological, emotional and physical consequences of Ozioma’s prolonged detention.
“Who accounts for the psychological, emotional and physical damage inflicted upon her and the anguish imposed upon her family?” she asked.
Okwu-Kanu also questioned whether Ozioma’s alleged association with the Biafran cause or IPOB could have contributed to her prolonged detention.
“Is her real ‘crime’ that she is accused of being Biafran?” she asked, arguing that peaceful expression of support for self-determination should not, by itself, result in persecution.
“Why should anyone face persecution merely for identifying as Biafran or an IPOB member peacefully expressing a belief in self-determination?” she said.
She argued that the case should not be treated as an isolated incident, but as an indication of the need to establish the whereabouts and legal status of other detainees allegedly being held incommunicado.
“This is bigger than one woman,” she said. “It raises urgent questions about the many people who may still be held in Wawa and other detention facilities — unseen, unheard and unreachable by their families.”
Okwu-Kanu insisted that Ozioma was entitled to basic legal and human rights protections regardless of the allegations against her.
“Onyeaka Ozioma Elizabeth has a name. She has a family. She has rights. She is not a number to be buried inside a secret detention system,” she said.
She called for transparency, access to legal representation and family contact for Ozioma and other detainees.
“We demand an independent investigation into her arrest, detention, treatment and the legal basis upon which she was held,” she said. “And we demand an account of every person still detained incommunicado in Wawa.”
Okwu-Kanu added that Nigeria could not claim to be upholding justice if families had to discover through a courtroom video that their missing relatives were still alive.
The allegations have renewed concerns over the treatment of suspects held in connection with separatist-related cases, the legal safeguards available to detainees and the need for security agencies to ensure that arrests and detentions comply with due process.
Security agencies have maintained that their operations in the South-East target individuals suspected of involvement in violent activities, terrorism and threats to national security. Authorities have also defended their security operations and denied acting outside the law.
However, Okwu-Kanu maintained that national security concerns should not be used to justify concealing the whereabouts of detainees or denying them access to due process.
She urged the relevant authorities to investigate Ozioma’s case and provide a comprehensive account of individuals allegedly being held at Wawa and other detention facilities.
