Real Reason We Shut Down DSS – Nigerian Govt
Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), a stalwart of Nigeria’s intelligence community, has said the department should be shut down.
This proposal is said to be premised on the prevailing state of insecurity in the country which suggests a collapse of the government’s traditional security architecture.
According to the DSS chief, communities—not the country’s security agencies—should now become the nation’s first line of defence in tackling the current issues.
It was reported that Ajayi made the proposal in mid-February in Abuja in the presence of various current and former security chiefs, including the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, “none of whom objected to the smug idea”.
“You do not expect the Nigerian Army, police, and SSS to protect every Nigerian,” Ajayi said. “It is not going to work.”
“We do expect the security agencies to do their work. That is what the constitution provides, affirming that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
“Not a secondary purpose, but the primary.
“This means that the security of the people is the first order of business for the government of the federation, which is the level of governance that has—and controls—the security agencies,” the DSS boss is quoted.
Ajayi reportedly cited examples of communities in Nigeria that have combated attacks as a template that Nigeria could adopt to defeat insecurity.
“Nigerian communities have always defended themselves, and they still do, despite the imbalance in modern firepower, where they find themselves holding sticks and cutlasses against the handguns and assault rifles routinely deployed against them by kidnappers, terrorists, or even security agents.
“It is the responsibility of the state to protect its citizens, a duty the government assumes when it takes the oath of office. The problem is that in Nigeria, after the government has been sworn in, the love of luxury and the sense of power often take precedence over a sense of obligation.
“Let us not forget that the APC was voted into power in 2015 principally because of the insecurity in Nigeria, with Muhammadu Buhari vowing to use his military prowess to address it.
“This means that between him and his successor, President Bola Tinubu, the APC has now spent 10 years in power, sadly making Nigeria even more insecure,” the newspaper noted.
It further quoted Ajayi as adding that: “Our culture is communal.
“Why can’t we fight miscreants, charlatans, together?
“The elites should discuss with their communities, come to us, get some sort of approval and guidance, and then we can stop these miscreants.”
