Agu was first arrested by the Nigerian Army on October 7, 2021, around Upper Iweka in Onitsha, Anambra State, for wearing a Biafra outfit while distributing bread and other items to the poor.

The army had accused him of soliciting support for the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra which has been accused of several acts of terrorism. He was subsequently handed over to the DSS for investigation and prosecution.

However, a relative of the Nollywood actor said that they had been denied access to him. The relative, who wished to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the case, said Agu was first moved from Anambra to Enugu and then to Abuja.

The relative said “We spent two days trying to ascertain his whereabouts. We were later informed that he was moved to Enugu and then Abuja. We heard that the idea is to move him away from the South-East. We have made efforts to see him, but the DSS has not granted us access. Even the lawyers have not been allowed to reach him,”.

Attempts to get a response from DSS spokesman, Dr Peter Afunaya, proved abortive as he rejected calls; while a text message had not yet been responded to as of the time of filing this report.

Agu, who has starred in several movies, including ‘Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story’, which is now showing on Netflix, has been a known supporter of the Biafra struggle.

He has also been critical of the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for allegedly marginalising the Igbo.

The lawyer also condemned the “inhumane treatment and degradation” of veteran actor, Chiwetalu Agu, by security agencies, saying the actor has not been granted access to his lawyers.

Ejiofor demanded the immediate release of Agu from the custody of the Department of State Services, saying Igbo lawyers “shall take appropriate steps permissible under our laws, to ensure that such occurrence is nipped in the bud.

The Army in a statement had said that the actor was arrested “while inciting members of the public and soliciting for support for the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra.”

The Army had also said the actor “dressed in a very well-known attire of the proscribed group”, adding that he was being questioned.

In a viral video, Agu had denied the allegations, saying his attire was a civil dress with an image of a rising sun and not Biafra.

“I was sharing 10,000 worth of bread when he (soldier) came, no campaign, nobody was doing any demonstration or carrying people along. Even people who were hawking, I was giving them bread,” the actor had added.

The Army subsequently handed over the actor to the DSS on Friday.

DSS Spokesman, Peter Afunanya, who confirmed that Agu is in the custody of the secret police, said the law would take its full course.

Reacting, however, in a statement on Saturday, the IPOB leader’s counsel condemned the arrest of the Nollywood actor, alleging that the true motive of ‘Exercise Golden Dawn’ launched on Monday by the 302 Artillery Regiment General Support in the South-East was being uncovered.

Ejiofor’s statement was titled, ‘Arrest of Chief Chiwetalu Agu by lawless Nigerian soldiers, release, and subsequent re-arrest by the operatives of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) and his continued illegal detention without access to his lawyers and relatives.

“It is worthy to note that the suspected motives behind the real mission of these untamed soldiers who are presently occupying our land under the guise of ‘Operation Golden Dawn’ is being uncovered, and will be ultimately uncovered in the coming days,” he said.

Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lead counsel for the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu

“Hear it today, that this is another round of ‘Operation Python Dance’ in disguise. There is no illusion about this.

“Intelligence available to us is irresistibly alluding to the fact that some prominent persons from this side of the divide, ostensibly those not in the good books of the Establishment are on the radar of these invaders, waiting to be whisked away at any slightest opportunity, during this coded operation and under the guise of providing security.”

Ejiofor also said that he has intelligence advice to stay away from the South-East “pending when the dust settles because they can do and undo”.

He advised his “brothers and sisters” to be law-abiding and apply caution and restrain.

“Hence, I am most candidly advising our dear brothers and sisters to thread with utmost caution during this trying period. Please do not take any opportunity for granted, as these untamed men are here on a special mission,” he said.

The group described as injustice the arrest of the actor for wearing ‘Biafran colours’, while controversial Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, roamS freely with bloodthirsty bandits.

Soldiers on Thursday had arrested the actor around Upper Iweka Bridge in Onitsha for wearing an outfit with Biafra inscriptions.

The Army in a statement had said that the actor was arrested “while inciting members of the public and soliciting for support for the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra,” adding that the actor was “dressed in a very well-known attire of the proscribed group”.

In a viral video, Agu had denied the allegations, saying his attire was a civil dress with an image of a rising sun and not Biafra.

The military later released the actor on Friday and handed him over the DSS.

DSS Spokesman, Peter Afunanya, who confirmed that Agu is in the custody of the secret police, said the law would take its full course.

However, reacting its statement titled, Chiwetalu Agu: HURIWA accuses military, DSS of ethnic profiling’, the group said, “The military and the DSS have clearly shown their inclinations towards ethnic profiling because on more than one occasion the Kaduna-based Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi was seen holding nocturnal meetings with the terrorists who kidnapped many school children and held them, hostage, for months in the forests but despite the obvious evidence that the said Ahmad Gumi made many television and newspaper appearances and granted extensive interviews including the one that he accused the military of helping to weaponise terrorists in the North-West, there was never any attempt on the part of the DSS or Army to invite him or arrest him for these treasonous acts of fraternizing and colluding with terrorists. But the Igbo Actor Chiwetalu Agu wore just a cloth with the flag of the defunct Biafra Republic which is not unlawful but the Army tortured him and thereafter handed him over to the DSS and the DSS is now saying that justice would be done and we ask, which justice? This is pure ethnic profiling and vendetta which is unconstitutional.”

The statement signed by HURIWA National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, added, “We demand the immediate release of Mr Chinwetalu Agu by the DSS or they charge him to court so the world will see how low the country Nigeria has degenerated in the practice of apartheid policies by the current administration that releases and reintegrate Boko Haram Islamic terrorists.”

Of late, Gumi has been seen with AK-47-wielding bandits in the forests of Niger, Zamfara and Kaduna states, defending their killings and kidnappings and asking the government to grant them blanket amnesty.

While many Nigerians had called on the security agencies to arrest and interrogate Gumi over his involvement with the rampaging marauders, the Kaduna-based Islamic cleric walk freely, serving as middleman and resource person for the bandits in the negotiation for the release of abducted students across Nigeria.