The Director-General of Nigeria’s Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi, has instructed the agency’s operatives to stop arresting people over civil disputes. The directive forms part of broader reforms he has introduced to reinforce the rule of law and improve the service’s human rights record.
Ajayi outlined the changes in a media interview on Thursday. He said the reforms centre on five areas: law enforcement practices, better coordination with other agencies, stronger accountability, greater respect for human rights, and upgrades to infrastructure and administration.
A key element, he explained, is drawing a sharper line between civil and criminal matters. Ajayi noted that the DSS had previously mixed the two categories. Force, he stressed, has no place in civil disputes and is not always necessary even in some criminal cases.
“You cannot apply the use of force in civil matters. Even some criminal matters don’t require force,” he said.
He pointed to the agency’s handling of the case involving political economist Professor Pat Utomi, who faced allegations linked to an attempt to form a “shadow government.” Instead of ordering an arrest, the DSS sought a court ruling. The court declared Utomi’s move unconstitutional, illegal and a threat to national security.
In another instance, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) took the DSS to court over claims that two operatives entered its premises. The service responded through legal channels without making arrests. The court later awarded SERAP more than N100 million.
Ajayi confirmed that the policy now requires court action rather than arrests in civil matters. The same approach applies to cases involving journalists.
“I have told my people that there should be no arrest in any civil case. And I’m sure you have found out that, even in cases involving journalists, we would rather approach the court because we do the same job,” he said.
He described journalists as professional colleagues, adding: “The only difference is that, while you inform the public, we inform the government. And because we inform the government, our information is classified until we declassify it.”
Ajayi presented the measures as part of the reforms he has pursued since taking office. The goal, according to his account, is to align DSS operations more closely with legal standards and reduce past practices that blurred civil and criminal boundaries.
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