DSS EXONORATES MAN CLEARED OF BOKO HARAM LINKS, PAYS N3m COMPENSATION
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The Director-General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi, has directed the release of a man who was cleared of being linked to Boko Haram after an internal review found no proof against him, according to security sources who spoke to the press.
The man, Nura Idris, was also given N3 million as immediate financial help, and the DSS promised extra support to assist him in rebuilding his livestock business, the sources added.
One of the sources with direct knowledge of the case said that Idris, a farmer and herder from Soba Local Government Area in Kaduna State, was arrested by a different security agency in Suleja, Niger State, in June 2024, on suspicion of having terrorist ties before being moved to DSS custody.
The officials spoke without revealing their names because they were not allowed to talk about the case publicly. One source said that a DSS investigation review panel carefully looked at the case again and didn’t find any proof to back the accusations against him.
“The DSS investigation panel reviewed Nura’s case thoroughly and found no reason to support the charges against him, so the DGSS ordered his quick release and gave him compensation,” the source said.
The source also mentioned that apart from the N3 million compensation, Ajayi promised to help Idris restart his business as part of the effort to support people who were wrongly detained and are now trying to reintegrate into society.”
Reacting after receiving the compensation, Idris reportedly expressed gratitude to the DSS leadership.
His father, Yusuf Idris, also thanked the DSS Director-General, saying the compensation would help the family rebuild their lives.
Another security source told the press that the Service also provides psychological, medical and reintegration support to detainees cleared after internal reviews.
“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 source said.
According to the source, Idris’ release forms part of an internal review exercise initiated by the Service last year to reassess inherited and prolonged detention cases and ensure innocent persons are not kept in custody unjustly.
The source recalled that Sunday Ifedi, who was arrested alongside his wife, Calista, in November 2021 over alleged links to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, was released in December 2025 after a review reportedly cleared him of the allegations.
The source said the DSS paid Ifedi N10 million in compensation and was making plans to rebuild a restaurant in memory of his late wife, who died while in custody.
The source also mentioned the cases of Abuja businesswoman Chineze Ozoadibe, who was reportedly released and paid N10 million in October 2025, Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor and five other detainees who were said to have received N2 million each after being cleared, as well as Ya’u Mohammed, a resident of Yobe State, who was released last month after investigations reportedly showed he had no connection to terrorism.
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