The Department of State Services (DSS) has released Mustapha Marwana, a Katsina-born carpenter, after investigations cleared him of any involvement with the Ansaru terrorist group. The agency also awarded him ₦3 million in compensation.
Marwana was arrested on suspicion of links to the May abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. A DSS source confirmed that the release followed a directive from the Director-General, Oluwatosin Ajayi, after thorough probes found no evidence connecting him to membership or financing of any terrorist organisation.
The incident that triggered his arrest involved gunmen who seized 39 pupils and seven teachers, including a school principal, from three schools in Oriire. One of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was later killed by the kidnappers. The abductions sparked widespread public outrage and protests across the country, with citizens demanding the safe return of the hostages. The victims were eventually freed on July 10.
Separately, a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced three men to life imprisonment in July for their roles in the same abduction. The convicts, Abdulrazak Umar (also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (Yunusa bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (Abu Itisar) were found guilty of terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement, and illegal mining.
Marwana’s release fits a growing pattern in which the DSS has compensated individuals wrongly linked to criminal or terrorist groups after internal reviews cleared them. In June, the agency freed Nura Idris and paid him ₦3 million after finding no evidence of ties to Boko Haram. In November 2025, Kenneth Nwafor received ₦5 million following his clearance of alleged membership of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). In October 2025, Abuja businesswoman Chineze Ozoadibe was released and awarded ₦10 million after being cleared of illegal bunkering allegations transferred to the DSS by another security agency.
The DSS’s decision to both clear and compensate Marwana underscores its stated commitment to correcting errors arising from security investigations while maintaining focus on genuine threats to national security.
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