The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has ordered the release of Nura Idris, a man wrongfully linked to Boko Haram, after an internal review cleared him of any involvement with the terrorist group. The DSS also awarded him N3 million in compensation and pledged further support to help him rebuild his business.
According to a security source, Idris, a farmer and livestock rearer from Soba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was arrested by a sister security agency in Suleja, Niger State, in June 2024 over alleged links to terrorists before being transferred to DSS custody.
However, following a comprehensive review of his case, a DSS investigation panel found no evidence to support the allegations against him. The findings prompted the Director-General to order his immediate release and approve financial compensation to meet his immediate needs.
The source added that, beyond the N3 million compensation, the DSS boss also promised to assist Idris in re-establishing his business, describing the intervention as a practice common under the current leadership.
Receiving the compensation, Idris expressed gratitude to the DSS Director-General, saying the support would enable him to rebuild his life.
“I thank the DGSS for his kindness. I was well treated in DSS custody and I pray that Allah rewards the DGSS immensely,” the source quoted Idris as saying.
His father, Yusuf Idris, who received him upon his release, also thanked the DSS Director-General for his compassion and generosity, assuring that the compensation would be put to good use.
Providing further insight into the Service’s approach, another source disclosed: “When such cases are recorded, the DSS would usually follow up with the detainee, provide psychological and medical support, after which the Agency would further set up any business of the victim’s choice.”
The release forms part of an internal review exercise initiated by the DSS last year to reassess prolonged inherited cases and ensure that individuals wrongfully detained are not kept in custody unnecessarily.
“The setting free and compensations across multiple cases underscores the DSS’s growing reputation for institutional integrity and humanness,” the source added.
“The Service under the current DG, has continued to show that safeguarding national security and citizens must go hand in hand with upholding the rights and dignity of citizens,” the source stated.
The source recalled the case of Sunday Ifedi and his wife, Calista, who were arrested on 8 November 2021 and detained at the Wawa facility, three years before the appointment of the current Director-General in August 2024. Sunday was released on 16 December 2025 after the detainees’ review ordered by the Director-General cleared him of alleged links to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). He subsequently received N10 million in compensation.
“Importantly, plans are underway by the DSS to rebuild a restaurant in memory of Ifedi’s wife, Calista, who died while in custody in a detention facility in Wawa. The initiative is to compensate Sunday for the allegations that his late wife operated a restaurant being patronised by IPOB, for which they were arrested. This brings to bear over thirty cases that have since been reviewed with over 300m paid as compensation,” the source disclosed.
The source further recalled that barely one month after ordering the release of Abuja-based businesswoman Mrs Chineze Ozoadibe and approving N10 million compensation for her in October 2025, the DSS Director-General also ordered the release of Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor, who had been arrested in July 2022 over alleged involvement in the activities of the proscribed IPOB.
Five other detainees wrongfully linked to IPOB were also released under the same directive, with each receiving an initial cash compensation of N2 million. Last month, the DSS similarly released Ya’u Mohammed, a resident of Yobe State, after investigations established that he had no connection with terrorism. Following his release, the Service provided him with an initial N2 million financial support package to facilitate his reintegration and restore his livelihood.
“There are many more instances where DSS investigations have established innocence and have been followed by efforts to facilitate reintegration,” the source stated, adding, “these are the kind of measures the DSS is using to build public trust.”