The Department of State Services has released a carpenter arrested over alleged links to the Ansaru terrorist group, after investigators found no evidence connecting him to terrorism.
Mustapha Marwana, from Katsina State, had been in custody since June after he was arrested in Abuja alongside three other suspects during investigations into the abduction and killing of school pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The Director-General of the DSS, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has also approved an initial payment of three million naira to Mustapha to help him rebuild his livelihood following his release.
Mustapha Marwana was arrested on the 4th of June, 2026, in Utako, Abuja.
According to a security source, he was arrested alongside three other suspects identified as members of the Ansaru terrorist group, as security agencies investigated the abduction and killing of school pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Mustapha was subsequently held while investigators sought to establish whether he had any connection with the group or the activities under investigation.
A DSS investigation panel has now cleared him.
The security source says investigators found no evidence that Mustapha was a member of any terrorist organisation or had operational links with Ansaru.
The investigation also found no evidence linking him to the financing, logistics or operational activities of the terrorist group.
Following the findings, the Director-General of the DSS, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, ordered Mustapha’s immediate release.
He also approved an initial payment of three million naira to help the carpenter meet his immediate needs and restart his livelihood.
Mustapha was released from custody to his lawyer, Oghene Forgive.
A source familiar with the case says Mustapha thanked the DSS Director-General for the decision and described his release and financial assistance as an opportunity to rebuild his life.
His lawyer, Oghene Forgive, also expressed appreciation for the review of the case and the decision to release his client after investigators established that there was insufficient evidence to link him to terrorism.
The DSS says Mustapha’s case is not the first in which its current leadership has provided financial assistance to people released after investigations cleared them of allegations.
A security source cited the case of Nura Idris, a farmer and livestock rearer from Soba Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Idris was arrested in Suleja, Niger State, in June 2024 over alleged links to Boko Haram and was subsequently transferred to DSS custody.
Following a review of his case, investigators reportedly found no basis to sustain the allegations against him.
He was released and paid three million naira in compensation.
The source also cited the case of Abuja-based businesswoman Chineze Ozoadibe, who was released in October 2025 after a review of allegations against her.
Investigators similarly found no basis for the allegations, according to the source.
Ozoadibe was subsequently paid ten million naira, while the DSS leadership pledged further assistance to help her revive her business.
The Service says the decisions are part of measures introduced under its current leadership to support people who are cleared after security investigations and assist their reintegration into society.
The DSS maintains that the approach is intended to balance its responsibility to investigate threats to national security with the protection of the rights and dignity of citizens.
The security source says there have been other cases in which investigations established that people taken into custody were not involved in the offences for which they were being investigated, leading to their release and efforts to support their return to normal life.
For Mustapha Marwana, the outcome means an investigation that began with his arrest alongside terrorism suspects has ended with the DSS formally clearing him of links to Ansaru, releasing him from custody and providing three million naira towards rebuilding his livelihood.
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(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
