The State Security Service (SSS) has released a Kaduna State herder, Nura Idris, after spending two years in detention over allegations linking him to the Boko Haram insurgent group.
The agency announced on Saturday that Mr Idris was freed after an internal review found no evidence to support the allegations against him. The SSS also approved a compensation payment of N3 million to assist him with his immediate needs.
According to the agency's spokesperson, Dozie Favour, the review panel concluded that there was no basis for the charges. Following the findings, Director-General Oluwatosin Ajayi ordered Mr Idris's immediate release and approved the compensation. The SSS said the Director-General also pledged support to help the former detainee rebuild his livestock business.
Mr Idris was arrested in Suleja, Niger State, in June 2024 by another security agency over suspected links to terrorists before he was transferred to SSS custody.
Reacting to his release, Mr Idris expressed gratitude to the SSS leadership, saying the compensation would help him restart his life. His father, Yusuf Idris, who received him upon his release, also thanked the agency and said the funds would be used wisely.
The SSS said the release forms part of an internal review of prolonged detention cases launched last year to identify individuals who may have been wrongfully held.
According to the agency, the exercise is intended to ensure that people mistakenly detained are released without unnecessary delays while balancing national security with the protection of citizens' rights.
The service cited several other cases reviewed under the initiative. These include Sunday Ifedi, who was released in December 2025 after investigators found no evidence linking him to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). He received N10 million in compensation, while the SSS also announced plans to rebuild a restaurant owned by his late wife, Calista Ifedi, who died in detention.
The agency also referenced the release of Abuja businesswoman Chineze Ozoadibe, Kenneth Nwafor, five other detainees previously accused of links to IPOB, and Ya'u Mohammed from Yobe State, all of whom were released after investigations cleared them of wrongdoing.
The SSS said it has reviewed more than 30 detention cases so far and paid over N300 million in compensation to individuals found to have been wrongfully detained.
