Lawyer Urges Security Agencies to Compensate Victims of Wrongful Arrests
A legal practitioner and human rights advocate, Hamza N. Dantani, has urged security agencies across Nigeria to adopt the Department of State Services (DSS) approach of compensating innocent citizens who are wrongly arrested, unlawfully detained, or harmed during security operations.
Dantani praised the Director-General of the DSS, Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, for introducing what he described as a bold and unprecedented compensation policy for victims of wrongful arrests and operational mistakes.
According to him, while security agencies have a constitutional duty to protect the country, they also have a legal and moral responsibility to acknowledge errors and provide justice for innocent people whose rights have been violated.
He stressed that the fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other crimes should never come at the expense of justice or respect for fundamental human rights.
“The DSS has shown that institutions can admit their mistakes and make amends without weakening their operations,” he said, adding that such accountability would strengthen public trust and reinforce the principle that no institution is above the law.
Dantani highlighted several cases in which the DSS reportedly compensated victims of wrongful arrests. They include Nura Idris, a Kaduna-based farmer and herder who received ₦3 million after being wrongly accused of links to Boko Haram, as well as 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.
He also mentioned Chineze Ozoadibe, an Abuja businesswoman who was awarded ₦10 million after being wrongly arrested on allegations of oil bunkering.
Another case involved a Sokoto-based trader who was mistakenly shot during a 2016 security operation in Jos. He later received ₦20 million, which covered court-awarded damages, an additional goodwill payment, and lifetime healthcare.
Dantani also referred to 11 artisans from Osun State who were cleared of terrorism allegations and compensated.
He noted that these are only some of the publicly known cases, adding that many other innocent Nigerians may have suffered similar injustices without receiving compensation or public recognition.
According to him, wrongful arrests and unlawful detention often leave victims with damaged reputations, lost jobs, collapsed businesses, emotional trauma, and financial hardship for their families.
Although financial compensation cannot erase the pain or recover lost time, he said it remains an important step toward acknowledging injustice and accepting responsibility.
Dantani called on 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 agencies to introduce similar compensation measures whenever investigations prove that innocent citizens were wrongly arrested, detained, or injured.
He also urged security agencies to improve their operations by relying on credible intelligence, strengthening identity verification, investing in forensic technology, enhancing intelligence sharing among agencies, and providing regular human rights training for personnel.
He further recommended strict compliance with constitutional safeguards, the creation of independent review panels to investigate complaints of wrongful arrests and detention, and disciplinary action against officers found guilty of negligence or abuse of power.
“Arrest should never be treated as punishment, and detention should never replace proper investigation,” he said.
Dantani commended the DSS Director-General for setting what he described as an example of responsible leadership, expressing hope that other security agencies would embrace accountability, protect citizens’ rights, and ensure that innocent victims of operational mistakes receive justice and compensation.
He added that the strength of any justice system is measured not only by its ability to punish offenders but also by its willingness to protect innocent people and correct its own mistakes.
