DSS frees wrongfully arrested businesswoman, others; approves ₦20m compensation

By Kunle Sanni –

The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has ordered the release of Mrs. Chineze Ozoadibe, an Abuja-based businesswoman wrongfully arrested over alleged oil bunkering.

Mrs. Ozoadibe is to receive ₦10 million in compensation, while five other persons also found to have been unlawfully detained will share another ₦10 million, according to a statement from the Service.

The DSS, according to a report by NTA, explained that Ozoadibe’s arrest was coincidental, adding that the decision to compensate her reflected a new policy under Ajayi’s leadership of admitting mistakes and addressing them promptly.

The agency noted that this was not the first time such action had been taken. In a previous case, it approved ₦20 million and lifelong medical care for a Jos businessman mistakenly shot by DSS operatives in 2016, which exceeded the amount ordered by the court.

Ajayi, in the statement, directed DSS officers to conduct more thorough investigations before effecting arrests and to acknowledge errors when they occur.