No More Arrests in Civil Disputes: DSS DG Oluwatosin Ajayi Orders Major Policy Shift, Signals Human Rights Reform

In what represents a watershed moment for Nigeria's internal security architecture, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, has officially prohibited operatives of the elite intelligence agency from intervening or making arrests in civil matters. The directive, aimed at checking the systemic overreach often associated with security agencies in Nigeria, marks a deliberate pivot toward institutional accountability and respect for civil liberties.

According to senior intelligence sources and reports from a media interactive session, the new DSS helmsman disclosed that this policy is the cornerstone of a comprehensive reform strategy initiated since he assumed the mantle of leadership. The reforms, structured around five strategic pillars, focus on law enforcement refinement, inter-agency synergy, internal accountability, absolute respect for human rights, and essential infrastructural and administrative modernization.

For decades, critics have accused Nigerian security agencies—including the DSS—of being weaponized by wealthy or politically connected individuals to settle personal vendettas, execute contract disputes, and enforce debt recoveries. Addressing these concerns, Ajayi emphasized that a clear, institutional line of demarcation has now been drawn between civil disagreements and actual threats to national security.

"You cannot apply the use of force in civil matters. Even some criminal matters do not require force. Our career experience has shown that we sometimes conflated these two areas in the past, and that must stop under this administration."

This administrative reorientation is expected to significantly reduce the friction between the secret police and the civilian population, fostering a more collaborative approach to national security at a time when the country faces multifaceted security challenges.