DSS Director General Implements Justice Reform, Releases Wrongfully Detained Man
The Department of State Services (DSS) under Director General Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi has taken another significant step toward justice reform by ordering the release of Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor, who had been in detention since July 2022 over alleged involvement with the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
In a move that demonstrates the agency's commitment to correcting past errors, the DSS chief not only directed Nwafor's immediate freedom but also approved N5 million as compensation for wrongful arrest and provided for his free medical care. This decision follows a thorough review of inherited cases ordered by the new leadership.
Detailed Investigation Clears Suspect
According to credible security sources, personnel of the Service conducted a detailed investigation that ultimately exonerated Nwafor, who hails from Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State. The investigation revealed that the detention lacked proper justification.
"The DG directed his investigation officers to conduct detailed review of all pending cases, and they have been dutifully doing that. Nwafor's case is one of such cases," the source revealed.
This gesture represents part of Director General Ajayi's broader initiative to ensure due process and prompt dispensation of justice across all cases inherited by his administration.
Pattern of Reform and Compensation
The release of Kenneth Nwafor is not an isolated incident but part of a growing trend under the current DSS leadership. The source highlighted several similar cases where the agency has taken responsibility for past mistakes:
- Three Abia men identified as Udemba, Onyedikachi, and Eze, suspected of belonging to IPOB, were equally released recently
- Last month, the DG ordered payment of N10 million compensation to an Abuja-based Igbo businesswoman, Mrs Chineze Ozoadibe, arrested by a sister security agency
- An additional N10 million was provided for five others to share in the same case
- The DG previously paid N20 million to a Jos-based businessman who was erroneously shot during a 2016 security operation, doubling the court-awarded damages that the agency had previously refused to pay
"Mr Tosin Ajayi acknowledges that as humans, we sometimes make mistakes. He also believes that when such mistakes are made, the right thing is to make amends," the security source explained.
The source emphasized that these actions demonstrate the Director General's resolve to establish a culture of accountability within the Service and his commitment to complying with the rule of law while adhering to the agency's standard operating procedures.
This development occurs barely one month after the DSS chief ordered the release and compensation of Mrs Chineze Ozoadibe, indicating a consistent pattern of addressing historical injustices within the security apparatus.
