The Department of State Services (DSS) has announced that the embattled self‑styled Eze Igbo of Ajao Estate, Lagos State, Chief Fredrick Nwajagu, will be transferred from the Lagos holding facility to Abuja. A security source at the DSS headquarters in Abuja, who wished to remain anonymous because he is not authorised to speak publicly, told Sunday that “he is in our custody in Lagos and we expect him to be taken to Abuja. He may not be alone. We have repeatedly warned that there are people threatening the peace of the nation, and the country will not allow anyone to plunge it into an avoidable crisis.”
Sunday reported that Nwajagu was arrested during a raid by a joint team of police officers and DSS operatives on Saturday. An anonymous source within the police force said the team first went to his palace, but he had already fled. He was later located at a hotel in Ejigbo, where he was apprehended. State police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the arrest, adding that the chief had been handed over to the DSS for further action over his inciting comments. “Yes, he (Fredrick) has been arrested and is currently in the custody of the DSS. They are in charge of anything associated with terrorism,” Hundeyin said.
In a video that went viral, Nwajagu, speaking in a mix of Igbo and English, threatened to invite members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to protect Igbo property in Lagos. He said, “We must have our security so that they will stop attacking us at midnight, in the morning and the afternoon. When they discover that we have our security, they will think twice before attacking us. I am not saying a single word to be hidden.” He also urged the public to spread his message.
The Lagos State chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide condemned Nwajagu’s remarks, stating that they do not represent the ideals of the Igbo community in Lagos. President Chief Solomon Ogbonna‑Aguene said the detained chief would “face the music alone” and emphasized that the comments were made in his personal interest, not on behalf of the organization. “He did not discuss his statement with any of us. The comments are his personal decisions and for his personal interests. Ohanaeze does not support such comments as its views. We are supposed to be apolitical. No Igbo person will support such an arrangement. Let him go and face the music,” he added.
Ogbonna‑Aguene further noted that Igbo people have already faced difficulties with IPOB in the South‑East, making Nwajagu’s threat to involve the group in Lagos unfair. “Why should he bring it up here in Lagos? If he wants to speak to IPOB, he should do so in his personal capacity, not as Eze Igbo. Who gave him the power to speak on Igbo interests?” he asked.
When contacted, Mr Omega Lawrence, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Ndi‑Eze, Lagos State, clarified that Nwajagu is not a recognized Eze in Lagos and is not a member of the Council of Eze. “He is just our brother, and his statements are unfortunate, but we cannot deny him. I condemn the statement in its entirety. We are not part of it,” Lawrence said.
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