COCTA Commends DSS DG Ajayi Over Reforms, Human Rights Focus

The Conference of Civil Society for Transparency and Accountability (COCTA) has commended the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatoyin Ajayi, for what it described as a reform-driven approach to intelligence administration and internal security.

COCTA National Coordinator, Comrade Olumuyiwa Onlede, said the DSS leadership had demonstrated a growing emphasis on intelligence-led operations, professional development, inter-agency collaboration and respect for citizens’ rights.

Onlede, in a statement, said the approach was particularly significant given the complex security threats facing Nigeria, including terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, violent crime, separatist activities and other forms of organised crime.

He noted that contemporary intelligence operations required more than surveillance and arrests, stressing the importance of building an institution capable of anticipating threats, producing reliable intelligence and maintaining public confidence.

According to him, Ajayi’s reported emphasis on recruiting highly capable young Nigerians and strengthening the Service’s human-capital base was an important step towards improving the country’s intelligence capabilities.

He also highlighted the review of cases inherited by the current DSS administration, describing it as an important step toward ensuring that prolonged detention is not allowed when investigations fail to establish culpability.

Onlede said that reports of compensation and apologies to individuals who were subsequently found to have been wrongly detained also demonstrated the importance of institutional accountability.

He cited the reported case of Abdulyakini Salisu, who was released following a review that reportedly established mistaken identity, with the DSS said to have apologised and approved an initial N10 million compensation package as well as continued access to medical care.

He also referenced the reported release and compensation of 11 people arrested in Osun State over terrorism-related allegations after a review of their cases, as well as reported disciplinary measures against officers involved in the arrests.

“These actions are important not merely because of the financial value of the compensation, but because of the principle they communicate,” Onlede said.

He argued that security institutions must be able to acknowledge mistakes and take corrective measures when investigations establish that individuals have been wrongly detained or identified.

According to him, accountability within security institutions should not be viewed as a sign of weakness, but as a means of strengthening public confidence and improving cooperation between citizens and security agencies.

Onlede said effective intelligence gathering depends significantly on public trust, adding that citizens would be more willing to provide useful information when they believe security agencies would act professionally and fairly.

He commended the DSS leadership for what he described as an attempt to balance firmness against criminality while respecting the rights of innocent citizens.

“Security institutions can be firm without being arbitrary, secretive without being unaccountable, and powerful without becoming insensitive to the rights of citizens,” he said.

COCTA urged the DSS to sustain the reported reforms by institutionalising case review and redress mechanisms, strengthening intelligence-led operations, deepening cooperation with other security agencies, and investing further in personnel development.

Onlede said Nigeria needed security institutions that were “intelligent, disciplined, technologically capable, accountable and people-centred,” adding that the emerging direction of the DSS under Ajayi offered grounds for optimism.

He therefore enjoined critical stakeholders and all Nigerians at home and in the diaspora to accord the present DSS leadership the necessary support to deliver on its mandate and continue the notable reforms initiated.