Human rights lawyer Hamza D. Dantani has asked Nigeria’s security agencies to create formal compensation policies for citizens who are wrongly arrested, unlawfully detained, or injured during operations. He pointed to the Department of State Services’ recent payouts as a practical model other agencies should follow.
Dantani commended the Director-General of the DSS, Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, for authorizing compensation for victims of operational mistakes. According to him, the decision proves that accountability and effective security work can go hand in hand, and that admitting errors does not weaken an agency’s mandate.
He stressed that while the constitution gives security forces the duty to protect lives and property, it also imposes a responsibility to make amends when those powers are misapplied. Acknowledging harm and offering redress, he argued, is both a legal requirement and a moral one. 
“The DSS initiative has shown that institutions can acknowledge and correct their mistakes without undermining national security,” Dantani said. “That kind of accountability builds public trust and reinforces the idea that no authority is above the law.”
He listed several beneficiaries already named in the DSS programme. Kaduna farmer and herder Nura Idris received ₦3 million after being wrongly linked to Boko Haram. Umar Ibrahim, Alhaji Bello Rabiu and Jaja Sarki Bamo were jointly compensated after a mistaken arrest over banditry and kidnapping allegations. Abuja businesswoman Chineze Ozoadibe was awarded ₦10 million following a wrongful arrest tied to alleged oil bunkering.
Other cases he cited include a Sokoto trader who was mistakenly shot during a 2016 operation in Jos. That victim later received ₦20 million covering court damages, a goodwill payment, and lifetime medical care. Dantani also recalled 11 artisans from Osun State who were cleared of terrorism allegations and subsequently compensated.
The lawyer cautioned that these public cases likely represent only a fraction of similar incidents. Many victims never make headlines, yet the consequences are severe. Wrongful detention can cost people their liberty, jobs, businesses, reputation and mental health, while families bear emotional and financial strain.
Although money cannot restore lost time or erase trauma, Dantani said compensation matters because it signals that the state takes responsibility. It tells citizens that mistakes will be recognized and addressed, not ignored.
He urged the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, NSCDC, EFCC, NDLEA and other law enforcement bodies to institutionalize similar mechanisms whenever investigations confirm wrongful arrest, unlawful detention or injury. He also recommended reforms: intelligence-led arrests, better identity verification, more investment in technology and forensics, stronger inter-agency information sharing, and regular human rights training for personnel.
Dantani further called for strict adherence to constitutional safeguards, the creation of independent internal review panels to handle complaints, and disciplinary action against officers found negligent or abusive. “Arrest should never be used as punishment, and detention should never replace proper investigation,” he said.
Commending the DSS leadership, he expressed hope that other agencies will adopt the same approach. For him, the true test of a justice system is not only in punishing offenders, but in protecting innocent people and correcting errors when they happen.
