A Sokoto businessman who was unlawfully shot by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) has finally received compensation six years after a court ruled in his favor. The agency, which was ordered to pay ₦10 million in damages, doubled the amount to ₦20 million as a goodwill gesture.
The victim was mistakenly shot during a DSS raid on his Jos residence in the early hours of April 2, 2016. The operatives, searching for a suspected gunrunner who shared the same last name, fired at the businessman’s thighs before realizing their mistake. They later arrested the actual suspect and transferred him to Abuja.
After being shot, the businessman was rushed to Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), where he was abandoned. His condition worsened due to a doctors’ strike, forcing him to seek treatment at a military hospital. The incident devastated his life—he lost his thriving fertilizer business, fell into debt, and was eventually evicted from his home, leading him to relocate to Sokoto with his family.
Determined to seek justice, he filed a fundamental rights lawsuit against the DSS in 2016. In 2018, the Federal High Court in Bauchi ruled in his favor, awarding him ₦10 million in damages. However, the DSS refused to comply and instead appealed the ruling. The Court of Appeal in Jos dismissed the appeal in 2019, paving the way for the businessman to enforce the judgment.
Following continued legal pressure, the DSS finally paid the ₦10 million judgment debt on March 15, 2025. The agency’s Director-General, Adeola Ajayi, added another ₦10 million in a show of goodwill to help the businessman rebuild his life.
The businessman, who requested anonymity for security reasons, recounted the night of the raid:
“They banged on my neighbors’ doors, looking for someone with my name. When they found me, I tried to explain, but before I could, they shot me in the thigh.”
His struggles worsened after relocating to Sokoto. Between 2019 and 2020, he lost two of his children—one-year-old and six-year-old—to preventable diseases like malaria and typhoid due to lack of access to healthcare.
Once financially stable with over ₦5 million in business capital, he had to take loans totaling ₦8.7 million to survive. Much of the compensation he received has now gone into repaying these debts, while the rest will help him revive his business.
A DSS insider confirmed that apart from financial compensation, the businessman was also granted access to the agency’s medical facilities for further treatment. The source acknowledged that while the wound has healed externally, the victim still struggles with mobility issues.
Despite years of hardship, the businessman expressed gratitude to the DSS Director-General for the additional compensation.
“May Allah bless him. It was my destiny to go through this, but I will never forget those who stood by me, especially my lawyer,” he said.
His lawyer, Akibu Idris, who handled the case pro bono, commended the DSS for setting a precedent for accountability and justice.
“This decision will boost public confidence in the judiciary and law enforcement,” he said.
Now planning to return to Jos and rebuild his business, the businessman hopes his story will encourage security agencies to be more accountable and prevent similar injustices in the future.
