The Director-General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi, has directed operatives of the agency not to arrest anyone over civil matters.
Ajayi said the directive was part of reforms introduced since he assumed office to strengthen adherence to the rule of law and improve the DSS’s human rights record.
According to The Sun, the DSS boss disclosed this in a media interview on Thursday, saying his reforms focused on five broad areas: law enforcement, inter-agency synergy, accountability, respect for human rights, and infrastructural and administrative reforms.
He stated that the reforms have also created a clearer distinction between civil and criminal matters within the agency.
Ajayi said his career experience showed that the DSS had previously conflated the two areas, stressing that the use of force was inappropriate in civil disputes.
