DSS Compensation Initiative Sets Standard for Security Agencies, Says Dantani

A legal practitioner and human rights advocate, Hamza D. Dantani, Esq., has called on security agencies across the country to emulate the Department of State Services (DSS) by compensating innocent Nigerians who are wrongly arrested, unlawfully detained or harmed during security operations.
Dantani made the call while commending the Director-General of the DSS, Mr Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, for what he described as a bold and unprecedented decision to compensate victims of wrongful arrests and operational errors.
He said the initiative demonstrated that while security agencies have a constitutional responsibility to safeguard the country, they also have a moral and legal obligation to acknowledge mistakes and provide remedies to innocent citizens whose rights have been violated.
According to him, the fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes should not come at the expense of justice and respect for fundamental human rights.
He said the DSS initiative had shown that institutions could admit and correct their mistakes without compromising operational effectiveness, adding that such accountability would strengthen public confidence and reinforce the principle that no authority is above the law.
Dantani cited some of the publicly known beneficiaries of the compensation initiative to include Nura Idris, a Kaduna-based farmer and herder who received ₦3 million after he was wrongly linked to Boko Haram; Umar Ibrahim, Alhaji Bello Rabiu and Jaja Sarki Bamo, who shared a compensation package after they were mistakenly arrested over allegations of banditry and kidnapping; and Chineze Ozoadibe, an Abuja-based businesswoman, who was awarded ₦10 million following her wrongful arrest over allegations of oil bunkering.
He also listed a Sokoto-based trader who was mistakenly shot during a 2016 security operation in Jos and later received ₦20 million, comprising court-awarded damages and an additional goodwill payment, alongside lifetime healthcare, as well as 11 artisans from Osun State who were cleared of terrorism-related allegations and compensated.
He noted that these were only a few publicly known cases, stressing that many other innocent Nigerians might have suffered similar experiences without receiving public attention.
Dantani said wrongful arrest and unlawful detention often result in the loss of liberty, employment, businesses, reputation and peace of mind, while families also suffer emotional and financial hardship.
Although monetary compensation cannot fully restore lost time or erase emotional trauma, he said it remains an important acknowledgement of injustice and the state’s willingness to accept responsibility.
He urged the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other law enforcement agencies to adopt similar measures whenever investigations establish that innocent citizens have been wrongly arrested, unlawfully detained or injured during official operations.
He also called on security agencies to strengthen their operational procedures by ensuring that arrests are based on credible intelligence and verified evidence, improving identity verification, investing in technology and forensic investigations, enhancing inter-agency intelligence sharing, and providing regular human rights training for personnel.
Dantani further advocated strict compliance with constitutional safeguards, independent internal review mechanisms to investigate complaints of wrongful arrest and unlawful detention, and accountability for officers found culpable of negligence or abuse of power.
He said arrest should never be treated as punishment, while detention should never replace proper investigation.
Commending the DSS Director-General for what he described as exemplary leadership, Dantani expressed hope that the initiative would usher in a new era in which all security agencies would embrace accountability, uphold constitutional rights and ensure that innocent citizens affected by operational errors receive justice and appropriate compensation.
He added that the true measure of a nation’s justice system lies not only in its ability to punish offenders but also in its willingness to protect the innocent and correct its mistakes whenever they occur