SSS compensates Sokoto victim six years after court verdict

After years of enduring hardship following the wrong shooting by State Security Service (SSS) operatives, a Sokoto businessman has finally received justice as the agency has compensated him.

The incident occurred in the early hours of April 2, 2016, when SSS operatives raided his residence in Jos, Plateau State, mistaking him for a suspected gunrunner who shared the same last name.

During the raid, they shot him in the thigh before later realising their mistake. Despite a 2018 court ruling ordering the SSS to compensate him with N10 million for the violation of his fundamental rights, justice was delayed for years.

However, on March 15, 2025, the agency finally paid the amount. In a surprising turn of event, the Director-General of the SSS, Adeola Ajayi, added another N10 million as a goodwill gesture to help the businessman rebuild his life.

Recounting the harrowing experience, the businessman who requested anonymity due to security concerns, said the operatives arrived at his apartment at about 4:30a.m.

“They banged on my neighbours’ doors, asking for someone with my name,” he recalled.

“When they found me, I told them my full name, but they didn’t believe me. Before I could explain further, they shot me in the thigh,” he said.

After realising their mistake, the operatives rushed him to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) but abandoned him there. Later that day, they arrested the actual suspect and transferred him to Abuja.

Tragically, the businessman’s suffering had only just begun. Left untreated due to doctors’ strike, he was eventually moved to a military hospital. The injuries, coupled with financial struggles, forced him to relocate to Sokoto State with his family.

Life also took a devastating turn for the businessman after the incident as he lost his capital, thriving fertilizer business, and became deeply indebted. Unable to keep up with rent, he was evicted from his home.

In Sokoto, things worsened. Between 2019 and 2020, he lost two young children to malaria and typhoid, illnesses that could have been prevented with better healthcare access.

“My one-year-old daughter passed away in 2019, and in 2020, my six-year-old also died from the same illness,” he recounted, sobbing. Once financially stable with over N5 million in business capital, he had to take loans amounting to N8.7 million just to survive.

The bulk of his SSS compensation has now gone into repaying those debts, with the remaining funds set aside to revive his business. Determined to seek justice, the businessman, through his lawyer Akibu Idris, sued the SSS in 2016.

After two years of legal delays, the Federal High Court in Bauchi ruled in his favour in February 2018, ordering the agency to pay N10 million in damages for violating his fundamental rights.

However, rather than complying, the SSS appealed the ruling, further prolonging the businessman’s ordeal. In 2019, the Court of Appeal in Jos dismissed the agency’s appeal after it failed to follow through on necessary court procedures.

Following the appellate victory, the victim prepared to file a lawsuit to enforce the judgment debt, but later opted to appeal directly to the Attorney-General’s office, a move that led to the recent breakthrough.

After an internal review, the SSS agreed to pay the court-ordered N10 million, and in an unexpected show of goodwill, added another N10 million. An SSS insider confirmed that, apart from the compensation, the businessman was given access to the agency’s medical facilities for further treatment.

“He was a victim of mistaken identity, shot in the lower limb to prevent escape during a raid,” the insider revealed.

The businessman, who still struggles to walk, plans to relocate his family back to Jos and restart his business. Despite years of suffering, the businessman expressed gratitude to the SSS Director-General for his kindness.

“May Allah bless him. It was my destiny to go through this, but I will never forget the people who stood by me, especially my lawyer,” he said. His lawyer, Idris, who handled the case pro bono, praised the SSS leadership for setting a precedent for accountability and justice in Nigeria.

“This decision will boost public confidence in the judiciary and law enforcement,” he said.