DSS Detains Aba Pastor for Over a Year Without Charge in Place of Suspected IPOB Member from Her Church

Esther Egbom, pastor of God’s Solution Bible Ministry in Aba, Abia State, has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) for over a year without any formal charge, according to her family. The detention followed a February 2025 raid on the church during a search for a suspected IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra) member reportedly associated with the congregation.

Family members said that in the early hours of February 12, 2025, DSS operatives entered the church around 2 a.m., taking Pastor Egbom and another female member into custody. Eight personal phones belonging to church members staying overnight were also confiscated.

Relatives described the arrest as sudden and unexplained. “There was shock and disbelief. Some members wept, others were frozen, unsure what was happening,” one family source said.

In the days following the raid, attempts by family and church members to locate Egbom were unsuccessful. It later emerged that DSS had been searching for a man named Osonwa Ifeanyi, alleged to be a member of IPOB and a church attendee. Failing to locate him, the authorities reportedly detained Pastor Egbom instead.

Family members have not been allowed to see her, and her lawyers have also been denied access. According to her relatives, this has caused significant emotional distress and uncertainty about her condition.

The case reached the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Kuje, Abuja. In Suit No. FCT/HC/M/4942/2025, Justice Odunayo O. Bamodu ordered DSS to either formally charge Egbom within 42 hours or release her immediately. The judgment was delivered on July 9, 2025, and formally recorded on September 24, 2025.

Despite the court order, her legal team, Nnaemeka Ejiofor & Associates, has been forced to repeatedly request enforcement, emphasizing that the time allowed for filing charges or releasing Egbom has elapsed and that the judgment remains unchallenged.

Earlier, the family had petitioned DSS, citing constitutional rights under Section 36(6)(c) of the 1999 Constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, which guarantee detainees access to legal counsel and notification of relatives. To date, these requests have not been granted.

As of February 2026, Pastor Egbom remains in DSS custody, with no official communication about any potential charges. Her family continues to demand compliance with the court ruling and access to her while any investigation proceeds.