The Department of State Services, DSS, has released three men who were found to have been wrongly detained by the agency over alleged involvement in banditry and kidnapping.
DAILY POST recalls that the trio—Umar Ibrahim, Alhaji Bello Rabiu, and Jaja Sarki Bamo—who were arrested in June this year, were ordered freed after the DSS reviewed their cases and found them innocent of the alleged crimes.
The Director General of DSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi, also approved a payment of N3 million in compensation to the men, who had been detained in error.
DAILY POST gathered that the release of the three men and the payment of compensation form part of efforts by the DSS leadership to ensure justice for victims of the agency’s past mistakes.
Many wrongly detained suspects have since been released by the current DSS leadership, while those found culpable are facing prosecution in various courts.
“The DG DSS is an honourable man who acknowledges errors and rectifies them swiftly. He attempts to ensure due process is followed to ensure the right thing is done. This is why he has sustained efforts in reviewing cases under the agency’s jurisdiction,” a senior official familiar with security establishments said.
The suspects, while expressing gratitude to the DG DSS, disclosed that they were treated humanely throughout their detention.
“We were properly fed, and we were not abused in any way. The officers ensured that our needs were met, and we cooperated throughout the investigation till we were finally released,” one of the freed victims, Ibrahim, said.
DSS releases three wrongly detained for banditry
