A market in Abuja, Nigeria. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A leader of the Igbo Jewish community in Nigeria  who spent a month in jail without charges after being arrested alongside three filmmakers from Israel was released on bail on Saturday, the BBC reported.

Lizben Agha was taken into custody with Israeli filmmakers Rudy Rochman, Andrew Noam Leibman, and Edouard David Benaym in the Igbo village of Ogidi on July 9, by agents of Nigeria’s internal security agency, the Department of State Services (DSS). Agha was helping the Israelis film the Igbo Jewish community for their documentary “We Were Never Lost,” which explores Jewish communities around the world.

The Israeli filmmakers helped raise money for her bail, according to The Times of Israel.

The Israelis, taken at gunpoint in a local synagogue, were accused of ties with a Biafran separatist group in Nigeria, suspicions they have rejected. Though the filmmakers insisted that neither they nor Agha had any such political connections, they were detained for 20 days without being formally charged or given access to lawyers.

Agha’s son told the BBC that the DSS arrested his mother and father at gunpoint late at night at their home. They were later released, but Agha was arrested again after seeking to go with the Israelis to the DSS headquarters in the capital Abuja as their mediator.

“My mother is in poor health and doesn’t know why she was arrested,” Agha’s son said. “I asked the prison authorities but they did not give me an answer.”

Rochman described Agha to the Times of Israel as “an innocent, amazing woman.” He said she is “incredibly strong, powerful, hospitable, proud in her Jewish identity, and was there for us the moment we got there. It’s horrible what happened to her — 29 days in prison. We were there for 20 of those days, so we know what it’s like.”

During their detainment, the three Israelis took a third of their one daily kosher meal, secured with the help of Chabad, and gave it to Agha through the prison guards. Rochman said after his release, he convinced Chabad to continue bringing Agha kosher food and that the Jewish group tried to deliver meals three times, but the DSS refused to give her the food.

The filmmakers said that their local fixer, Priye Amachree, who is not Igbo, was also arrested about a week ago and is still detained. He has not been formally charged and is not granted access to a lawyer, Rochman said.