A legal practitioner and human rights advocate, Hamza Dantani, has called on other security agencies to emulate the Department of State Services by compensating innocent Nigerians wrongly arrested or detained during operations.

He described the DSS initiative as a bold and positive step.

Dantani praised the Director-General of the DSS, Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, for the decision to provide remedies to victims of operational errors. He said the move shows that security agencies can admit mistakes without weakening their effectiveness.

He listed some known beneficiaries, including a Kaduna farmer who received ₦3 million after being wrongly linked to Boko Haram, an Abuja businesswoman awarded ₦10 million, and others compensated for mistaken arrests over banditry or related allegations. Some also received additional support such as healthcare.

According to Dantani, wrongful arrests cause loss of liberty, employment, reputation, and emotional hardship for victims and their families. While money cannot fully restore what was lost, compensation remains an important acknowledgement of injustice.

He urged the Police, Army, NSCDC, EFCC, NDLEA, and other agencies to adopt similar measures. He also recommended stronger procedures, better intelligence verification, human rights training, and accountability to prevent such incidents in the future.

Photo credit: Punch Newspaper