DSS Boss Bans Operatives from Arresting Citizens Over Non-Criminal Matters, Orders Recourse to the Courts

The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, has barred operatives of the secret police from arresting citizens over civil disputes, instructing personnel to route non-criminal grievances through the judiciary.

The directive represents a shift in operational policy for Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency, which has historically faced public criticism from human rights groups and the legal community over the unlawful detention of individuals involved in commercial disagreements, landlord-tenant friction, and civil disputes.

Speaking in a media engagement on the ongoing repositioning of the service, Ajayi outlined five foundational pillars steering his reform agenda: sharpening law enforcement standards, improving inter-agency collaboration, entrenching accountability, upholding human rights, and upgrading administrative infrastructure to support professional intelligence gathering.

The DSS chief acknowledged that throughout the service’s institutional history, operatives have frequently conflated civil obligations with criminal violations. Drawing a clear operational boundary, he declared that the use of coercive force against citizens in purely civil matters is unacceptable, noting that modern intelligence work relies on tact, evidence, and due process rather than strong-arm tactics.

Ajayi highlighted several high-profile cases to demonstrate the agency’s shift toward judicial resolution rather than arbitrary arrest. He referenced the controversy surrounding political economist Prof. Pat Utomi regarding allegations of forming an alternative administration, pointing out that rather than picking him up, the DSS approached the bench to seek legal interpretation. He noted similar restraint in legal disputes involving the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and activist Omoyele Sowore, affirming that the agency did not object to bail and allowed the court system to run its course.

Addressing the agency’s historically tense relationship with the press, the DSS director-general called for mutual respect, describing journalists as professional colleagues working in the information sector. He explained that while the press informs the general public, the intelligence community informs the government with classified material, stressing that any institutional friction involving media practitioners must be handled within the bounds of civil litigation rather than intimidation or extrajudicial arrests.

Ajayi reaffirmed that his administration remains dedicated to ensuring that the DSS operates strictly within constitutional limits, holding that national security is best protected when law enforcement agencies demonstrate respect for the fundamental rights of the citizens they are sworn to serve.