The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has called on the Attorney-General of the Federation and other federal authorities to investigate the alleged prolonged detention of a 35-year-old Anambra woman, Ozioma Elizabeth Onyeaka, whose family says they did not know her whereabouts for more than five years.
In a statement issued on Monday by its Executive Director, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, the rights group urged the Federal Government to account for Onyeaka’s arrest, detention history and current legal status, describing the case as a serious human rights concern.
RULAAC said Onyeaka, a graduate of Guidance and Counselling and teacher from Awkuzu in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, reportedly disappeared after leaving a night church programme ahead of other family members so she could prepare for work the following day.
According to the group, her family searched police stations, military facilities and custodial centres without success and allegedly received no information from any security agency about her arrest or whereabouts for about five years and three months.
The organisation said the family only later learned she was alive after a lawyer reportedly encountered her in connection with terrorism proceedings.
RULAAC further claimed that Onyeaka appeared before the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 16, 2026, and was reportedly detained at Wawa Barracks in Niger State.
The group asked authorities to disclose who arrested Onyeaka, when and where she was apprehended, the legal basis for her detention, whether she had access to legal representation, and why she was allegedly unable to communicate with her family during the period.
While stressing that it was not seeking immunity for anyone legitimately suspected of terrorism or other crimes, RULAAC maintained that constitutional safeguards must be respected regardless of the allegations against a suspect.
“If there is credible evidence against her, she should receive a prompt and fair trial before a competent court. If there is no sufficient evidence to sustain the charges, she should be released,” the statement said.
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The organisation also linked Onyeaka’s case to that of Sunday Ifedi and his late wife, Calista, who were reportedly arrested in Enugu in 2021 over alleged IPOB involvement and traced to Wawa Barracks, where Calista was alleged to have died in custody.
RULAAC said the reported cases raised broader concerns about families in the South-East searching for relatives allegedly held incommunicado during security operations.
The group urged the Attorney-General to review Onyeaka’s arrest and prosecution, establish her complete detention history, facilitate access to her family and independent legal counsel, investigate alleged prolonged incommunicado detention at Wawa Barracks, identify those currently held there, and account for persons reported to have died in custody.
As of the time of filing this report, the Federal Government and the relevant security agencies had not responded publicly to the allegations contained in RULAAC’s statement.
