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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
A legal practitioner and human rights advocate, Hamza Dantani, has urged security agencies across Nigeria to adopt the Department of State Services (DSS) compensation policy for innocent citizens who are wrongly arrested, unlawfully detained or harmed during security operations.
Dantani commended the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, for introducing the compensation for victims of wrongful arrests and operational mistakes, describing the initiative as a model that should be institutionalised across the country’s security architecture.
In a statement titled, “DSS Compensation Initiative Sets Standard for Security Agencies,” the lawyer described the policy as a landmark step towards strengthening accountability, transparency and public confidence in law enforcement.
He said the initiative deserved national recognition because it demonstrated that security agencies could admit operational errors without compromising their effectiveness.
Dantani said agencies charged with protecting the nation have a constitutional, legal and moral obligation not only to safeguard lives and property but also to provide redress whenever innocent citizens suffer violations of their rights.
He said: “This is a bold, commendable and unprecedented gesture that deserves national recognition. It demonstrates that while security agencies have a constitutional responsibility to protect the nation, they also have a moral and legal obligation to acknowledge mistakes and provide remedies to innocent citizens whose rights have been violated.”
He stressed that the fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality must always be conducted within the bounds of the law and with full respect for fundamental human rights.
“The pursuit of security must never come at the expense of justice. National security and respect for fundamental human rights are complementary principles that strengthen one another,” he added.
Dantani said the DSS had shown that public institutions could admit and correct mistakes while retaining public confidence, noting that accountability strengthens trust between security agencies and the citizens they are established to protect.
To underscore the impact of the policy, he cited several publicly known beneficiaries of the DSS compensation initiative. “Among them was Kaduna-based farmer and herder Nura Idris, who reportedly received N3 million after being wrongly linked to Boko Haram activities.
“Also, Abuja businesswoman, Chineze Ozoadibe, who was reportedly awarded N10 million following her wrongful arrest over allegations of oil bunkering. Similarly, there’s a Sokoto-based trader who reportedly received N20 million and lifetime medical care after he was mistakenly shot during a security operation in Jos in 2016.
“Other beneficiaries include Umar Ibrahim, Alhaji Bello Rabiu and Jaja Sarki Bamo, who shared a compensation package after being wrongfully arrested over allegations of banditry and kidnapping, as well as 11 artisans from Osun State who were exonerated of terrorism-related allegations and compensated.”
Dantani observed that wrongful arrests and unlawful detention often leave victims with severe financial losses, emotional trauma and lasting reputational damage.
While acknowledging that financial compensation cannot completely erase such suffering, he maintained that it represents an important acknowledgment that an injustice had occurred and that the state was prepared to take responsibility for its actions.
He therefore urged the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other law enforcement bodies to institutionalise similar compensation mechanisms whenever innocent citizens are found to have been wrongfully arrested, detained or injured during official operations.
The human rights advocate also called for reforms aimed at preventing wrongful arrests, including improved intelligence gathering, more rigorous identity verification, enhanced forensic investigations, stronger inter-agency collaboration, continuous human rights training for security personnel and independent mechanisms for reviewing complaints against security agencies.
He insisted that professionalism requires security operatives to exercise caution before depriving citizens of their liberty. “An arrest should never be treated as punishment, and detention should never become a substitute for proper investigation,” he said.
Dantani commended the DSS Director-General for setting what he described as a positive example for other security institutions, expressing optimism that the initiative would usher in a new era of accountability, respect for constitutional rights and justice for innocent Nigerians affected by operational mistakes.
He added that the true test of any 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.
