The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has ordered the immediate release of three men earlier detained on suspicion of involvement in banditry and kidnapping.
Those freed—Umar Ibrahim, Alhaji Bello Rabiu and Jaja Sarki Bamo—were arrested in June but cleared after a fresh review of their cases established no link to the alleged offences.
Ajayi also approved a compensation payment of N3 million to the trio in acknowledgment that they were detained in error.
Security sources said investigations failed to uncover any evidence tying the men to criminal activity, prompting the agency to close the cases.
The release and compensation, officials noted, form part of the DSS leadership’s wider efforts to correct past mistakes and ensure justice for wrongly detained persons. Several improperly held suspects have been freed in recent months, while those found culpable are facing prosecution.
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A senior security official said the DG “acknowledges errors and moves quickly to rectify them,” adding that all reviews are guided by due process.
Another source said the payment of compensation has become standard practice under Ajayi’s tenure, reinforcing confidence in the service.
The freed men expressed gratitude to the DG, noting 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,” remarked Ibrahim, even as they prayed for God’s mercy on the DG.
It would be recalled that, as part of the agency’s proactive security measures amid raging security threats, it had, in June 2025, intercepted some suspects who had just returned from the 2025 Hajj exercise at the Tunde Idiagbon International Airport, Ilorin, Kwara State, on allegations of their involvement in kidnapping and banditry.
