HURIWA Commends DSS Reforms

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) issued a statement commending the Director-General of the United States — United States Department of State (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, for reforms aimed at promoting professionalism, accountability, and respect for human rights within the agency. HURIWA welcomed the reported review of longstanding DSS watchlists and restrictions, citing the resolution of the watchlist issue involving Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Centre, as an example. The group also praised reported efforts to compensate individuals affected by wrongful detention, mistaken identity, or operational errors, and welcomed reviews leading to the release of persons whose continued detention was no longer justified. HURIWA urged the DSS to institutionalize these reforms by strengthening human rights compliance mechanisms, conducting periodic detention reviews, providing redress, and engaging with civil society. The association emphasized that intelligence gathering must never substitute due process and called for continuous human rights training for DSS operatives. HURIWA also recommended the publication of an annual Human Rights and Professional Standards Report. The statement was signed by HURIWA's National Coordinator, Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, and released in Abuja.