The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has directed the release of Mrs. Chineze Ozoadibe, an Abuja-based businesswoman wrongfully arrested on allegations of oil bunkering.
Mrs. Ozoadibe will receive ₦10 million in compensation, while another ₦10 million will be shared among five other individuals also found to have been unlawfully detained, according to a statement from the Service.
The DSS, in a report carried by NTA, clarified that Ozoadibe’s arrest was coincidental, stressing that the decision to compensate her reflects a new policy under Ajayi’s leadership — one that admits mistakes and addresses them promptly.
The agency further recalled that this was not the first instance of such action. In 2016, the Service approved ₦20 million and lifelong medical care for a Jos businessman mistakenly shot by its operatives, surpassing the amount earlier mandated by the court.
Ajayi, in the statement, instructed DSS officers to ensure more thorough investigations before carrying out arrests and to acknowledge errors whenever they occur.