DSS releases three wrongly detained banditry suspects, pays N3m compensation

The Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has ordered the immediate release of three individuals arrested in June 2025 over allegations of involvement in banditry and kidnapping.

The trio of 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 to be innocent of the alleged crimes.

The DG also approved that N3 million be paid as compensation to the freed men found to have been detained in error.

Credible security sources disclosed that investigations failed to establish any link between the suspects and their alleged crimes.

The release of the three men and payment of compensation by the DSS is part of efforts by the DSS leadership to ensure that justice is served to victims of the agency’s past mistakes.

It will be recalled that many wrongly detained suspects have since been released by the new DSS leadership, while those found culpable are facing prosecution in various courts.

A top official with knowledge in security establishments said, “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.”

Another source described payment of compensation as an established practice under Ajayi’s leadership and expressed confidence in the agency.

Expressing gratitude to the DG DSS, the suspects revealed that they were humanely treated throughout their stay.

“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,” remarked Umar Ibrahim.

In July 2025, Abdulyakini Salisu, a quarry operator arrested in 2022 along the Zuba-Kaduna expressway, was freed after a review revealed he was wrongly identified.

Salisu was awarded N10 million in compensation and granted lifetime access to medical care at the DSS facility.

Back in May, the DSS also paid N20 million to a Sokoto-based businessman who was mistakenly shot by its operatives during a 2016 operation in Jos, Plateau state.