Attorney calls on law enforcement, anti-graft agency, and military to emulate secret service's damage payment framework

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A legal practitioner and human rights advocate, Hamza Dantani, has urged security agencies across Nigeria to adopt the Department of State Services’ compensation policy for innocent citizens wrongly arrested, unlawfully detained or harmed during security operations.

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Dantani made the call while commending the Director-General of the DSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi, for compensating victims of wrongful arrests and operational errors, describing the initiative as “bold and unprecedented.”

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According to him, while security agencies have a constitutional duty to protect the country, they also have a legal and moral responsibility to acknowledge mistakes and provide remedies for innocent citizens whose rights have been violated.

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This was contained in a release shared with PUNCH Online on Monday, titled, “DSS Compensation Initiative Sets Standard for Security Agencies – Dantani.”

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He said, “This is a bold, commendable, and unprecedented gesture that deserves national recognition.

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“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.”

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He stressed that efforts to combat terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other crimes should not undermine the rule of law or fundamental human rights.

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“The fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other forms of criminality is a national priority.

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“However, the pursuit of security must never come at the expense of justice. National security and respect for fundamental human rights are not opposing ideals; they are complementary principles that strengthen one another,” the lawyer added.

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Dantani said the DSS had demonstrated that institutions could admit and correct their mistakes without weakening their operational effectiveness.

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The release noted, “The recent compensation initiative by the DSS is evidence that institutions can correct their errors without compromising their operational effectiveness.

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“On the contrary, such accountability enhances public trust and demonstrates that no authority is above the law.”

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He cited several publicly known beneficiaries of the initiative, including Kaduna farmer and herder Nura Idris, who received ₦3 million after being wrongly linked to Boko Haram; Abuja businesswoman Chineze Ozoadibe, who was awarded ₦10 million following her wrongful arrest over allegations of oil bunkering; and a Sokoto-based trader who received ₦20 million and lifetime healthcare after he was mistakenly shot during a 2016 security operation in Jos.

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He also mentioned Umar Ibrahim, Alhaji Bello Rabiu and Jaja Sarki Bamo, who shared a compensation package after they were wrongly arrested over allegations of banditry and kidnapping, as well as 11 artisans from Osun State who were cleared of terrorism-related allegations and compensated.

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“These are only a few publicly known examples. There may be many more deserving victims whose stories have never reached the public domain,” it noted.

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According to Dantani, wrongful arrest and unlawful detention often leave victims with lasting financial, emotional and reputational damage.

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“Although monetary compensation can never fully restore lost time, damaged reputations, or emotional trauma, it is an important acknowledgment that an injustice has occurred and that the State is willing to accept responsibility for its actions,” he noted.

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He called on the “Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and other law enforcement bodies” to adopt similar measures whenever investigations establish that innocent citizens have been wrongly arrested, unlawfully detained or injured during official operations.

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The lawyer also advocated reforms to reduce wrongful arrests, including improved intelligence gathering, identity verification, forensic investigations, inter-agency collaboration, continuous human rights training and independent review mechanisms to investigate complaints.

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“Professionalism demands caution before depriving any citizen of liberty. An arrest should never be treated as punishment, and detention should never become a substitute for proper investigation,” the release noted.

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Commending the DSS Director-General, Dantani said the compensation initiative had set “a commendable precedent” for security institutions across Nigeria.

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It concluded, “It is my sincere hope that this initiative marks the beginning of a new era in which every Nigerian security agency embraces accountability, respects constitutional rights, and ensures that innocent citizens who suffer from wrongful arrest, unlawful detention, or operational errors are not left without justice or appropriate compensation.”

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He added that “the true measure of a nation’s justice system is not merely its ability to punish the guilty, but also its willingness to protect the innocent and to correct its own mistakes whenever they occur.”

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