A legal practitioner and human rights advocate, Hamza Dantani, has called on Nigeria’s security agencies, including the Police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Nigerian Army, to adopt the Department of State Services’ (DSS) compensation policy for innocent citizens who suffer from wrongful arrests, unlawful detention or operational mistakes.
Dantani made the appeal while commending the Director-General of the DSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi, for approving compensation for victims affected by wrongful arrests and other operational errors.
He described the initiative as a bold, commendable and unprecedented step that demonstrates accountability within Nigeria’s security sector.
According to the human rights advocate, although security agencies have the constitutional responsibility to safeguard lives and maintain national security, they also have a legal and moral obligation to admit mistakes and provide appropriate compensation whenever innocent citizens are unjustly affected during security operations.
Dantani noted that compensating victims of wrongful actions would help restore public confidence in security institutions, strengthen respect for human rights and promote professionalism among law enforcement agencies.
He urged the Nigeria Police Force, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Nigerian Army to emulate the DSS by introducing clear compensation mechanisms for individuals who are wrongly arrested, unlawfully detained or harmed during official operations.
The lawyer stressed that taking responsibility for operational errors would reinforce the rule of law and demonstrate that security agencies are committed not only to enforcing the law but also to protecting the rights and dignity of every Nigerian.
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