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The Director-General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi, has ordered the release of a man cleared of alleged Boko Haram links after an internal review reportedly found no evidence against him, security sources familiar with the matter told The PUNCH on Saturday.
The man, Nura Idris, was also paid N3 million as immediate financial compensation, while the DSS promised additional support to help him rebuild his livestock business, the sources said.
One of the sources with direct knowledge of the case disclosed that Idris, a farmer and herder from Soba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was arrested by a sister security agency in Suleja, Niger State, in June 2024 over alleged terrorist links before he was transferred to DSS custody.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the case publicly.
According to one of the sources, a DSS investigation review panel thoroughly reassessed the case and found no evidence to support the allegations against him.
“Following a thorough review of Nura’s case, the DSS investigation panel found no basis for the charges against him, prompting the DGSS to order his immediate release and payment of compensation,” the source said.
The source added that beyond the N3 million compensation, Ajayi also pledged to assist Idris in reviving his business as part of efforts to support the reintegration of persons found to have been wrongly detained.
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 PUNCH 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 cited 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 allegedly received N2 million each after being cleared, as well as Ya’u Mohammed, a Yobe State resident who was released last month after investigations reportedly established he had no links to terrorism.
