The Department of State Services (DSS) has paid ₦20 million in compensation and enrolled a Sokoto businessman in its medical care system, fulfilling a long-standing promise after operatives mistakenly shot him during a 2016 operation.
In mid-March, DSS Director-General Mr. Tosin Ajayi approved the payment of ₦10 million, in compliance with a 2018 Federal High Court ruling. The court, presided over by Justice Muhammed Shittu Abubakar in Bauchi, had ordered the DSS to compensate the businessman after operatives injured him during a mistaken identity incident in Jos, Plateau State.
Mr. Ajayi also directed DSS medical officials to integrate the victim into their health care system, granting him lifetime access to free treatment. In a generous gesture, he added another ₦10 million to the compensation, raising the total to ₦20 million.
Following the directive, the DSS invited the businessman to its hospital in Abuja. According to a security source, he arrived a few days ago and has since undergone a series of medical tests and treatments from the agency’s top doctors.
“The DG instructed us to place him in the VIP ward, which is fully air-conditioned,” the source said. “Doctors are providing round-the-clock care to help him regain full use of his limbs. The DG even ordered that he receive meals free of charge.”
The shooting occurred in 2016 during a pre-dawn raid to arrest a suspected gunrunner in Jos. DSS operatives accidentally shot the businessman, who shared a name with the suspect. The agents later apprehended the real target.
Two years later, the businessman’s lawyer, Idris Akibu, filed suit number FHC/J/CS/18/2018 at the Federal High Court in Bauchi, resulting in the court’s ₦10 million judgment against the DSS.
“This is the third DG since that unfortunate incident,” the source added. “We’re pleased that our new DG not only honored the court ruling but went further by adding another ₦10 million. It proves that security agencies can uphold the law and show compassion.”
