The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has praised the Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Mr. Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, for steering the agency toward more professional, accountable and rights-compliant intelligence operations.
In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group welcomed the reported review of old DSS watchlists, including restrictions dating back decades.
“Outdated intelligence records should not continue to unjustifiably curtail the liberty, dignity and freedom of movement of citizens,” HURIWA declared.
The association pointed to the recent resolution of the long-running watchlist case involving the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, as proof of why security classifications must be reviewed periodically.
HURIWA also applauded reports that the service has begun compensating victims of wrongful detention, mistaken identity and operational errors, and that persons whose continued detention could no longer be justified have been released.
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“Acknowledging mistakes, providing redress and learning from operational failures strengthen public confidence in security institutions,” the group said. “Intelligence gathering must never become a substitute for due process.”
While recognising the DSS’s frontline role in tackling terrorism, kidnapping, violent extremism and espionage, HURIWA insisted that enforcement must remain anchored on legality, necessity, proportionality and respect for fundamental rights.
The rights body urged Mr. Ajayi to institutionalise the reforms by setting up dedicated mechanisms to monitor rights compliance, investigate complaints and recommend corrective action. It called for human rights impact assessments, periodic detention reviews, structured redress and compensation, and deeper civil society engagement.
It further recommended mandatory continuous rights training for operatives, open citizen complaint channels, responsible media engagement, and preventive, rights-based intelligence gathering as tools to sharpen crime prevention and cut down on needless arrests and confrontations.
“We commend Mr. Ajayi for the reform direction and urge him to consolidate the gains by making accountability, proportionality, due process, professional conduct and access to remedy permanent features of DSS operations,” HURIWA declared.
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