Rights group cites DSS DG’s compensation record, says police must correct alleged injustice
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Inspector-General of Police, Tunde Disu, to order the release of four men detained over the MT THOR vessel case and investigate the role of CSP Omar John Sini.
The association said the police chief should emulate the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, whose reported interventions in cases of wrongful detention and rights violations had helped restore public confidence in the security agency.
In a statement on Thursday, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, identified the four detainees as Ebor Eric Kessiena, John Atawo Lawrence, Godwin Okpaje and Mukaila Sarumi.
The group said their continued detention, reportedly lasting more than six months, raised serious concerns about respect for fundamental rights and judicial authority.
HURIWA’s demand followed a petition dated October 26, 2026, submitted to the IGP by lawyers P.O. Onucheyo and S.D. Omẹde, representing interests connected to MT THOR.
According to the petition, the four men were arrested on December 15, 2025, when the vessel was intercepted at Koko, Warri, Delta State.
The lawyers alleged that the vessel was being towed under Marine Police escort to the Warri jetty and was within the custody and control of the Admiralty Marshal following Federal High Court proceedings.
They maintained that the men were pumping water from the vessel’s engine room to prevent flooding and possible sinking when they were arrested.
The petition questioned the circumstances of their arrest and the allegations of illegal petroleum dealings and crude oil theft brought against them.
It further claimed that the four men had remained at the Okere Correctional Centre, Warri, for more than six months.
The lawyers also referred to proceedings before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice Daylop Pam, which reportedly included an order for the arrest and production of CSP Sini in connection with issues arising from the detainees’ fundamental rights case.
The petition also referenced Suit No. FHC/W/CS/65/2024 and raised questions about the handling of relevant court records, Marine Police documents and a December 12 analysis attributed to the police officer.
HURIWA called on Disu to obtain the relevant court records and investigative reports, establish the legal basis for the continued detention of the men and determine whether all lawful court directives had been obeyed.
It also demanded an independent investigation into CSP Sini and any other officers implicated in the petition.
The association warned that no police officer, regardless of rank, should treat court orders as optional, adding that anyone found to have abused police powers or disobeyed lawful directives should be held accountable.
HURIWA, however, stressed that its intervention was not intended to shield anyone from legitimate criminal investigation but to ensure that the process complied with the Constitution and the rule of law.
To illustrate the need for accountability, the association praised DSS Director-General Ajayi for approving the release of four persons arrested over alleged links to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and N20 million compensation for them.
The beneficiaries, Emele Uduma Ibe, Berefgagha Appah, Ondokeyilemi Aggry and Oyeinmokebebeton Aggry, were arrested in May 2022 in Bayelsa State.
HURIWA said investigations reportedly established that the men had been misled into believing they would receive monthly payments of N100,000 under the Federal Government’s Amnesty Programme. Each was approved to receive N5 million.
The association also cited the review of more than 300 inherited terrorism-related cases, a reported reduction of detainees in DSS facilities to about 100 and compensation payments exceeding N1 billion to persons affected by wrongful arrests and other operational mistakes.
It listed other interventions involving a Jos-based businessman mistakenly shot by DSS operatives, Chineze Ozoadibe, Sunday Ifedi and Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor.
HURIWA said the DSS interventions demonstrated that security agencies could protect national security while respecting citizens’ rights and correcting operational mistakes.
It urged Disu to give the MT THOR petition urgent attention, warning that ignoring allegations of prolonged unlawful detention and disobedience of court orders could further weaken public confidence in the police.