Centre Defends DSS, Decries Sowore’s ‘Derogatory’ Comments

The Centre for Public Integrity (CPI) has condemned the continuous attacks on the Department of State Services (DSS) by activist Omoyele Sowore, describing his criticisms as hypocritical and detached from the current realities of the reformed security agency.

In a statement signed by Comrade Job Samuel Danfulani, the centre noted that Sowore, who currently enjoys his full fundamental human rights under the present leadership of the DSS, had chosen to repay the agency’s professionalism with blackmail and insults.

Danfulani recalled the ordeal Sowore faced under the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, when he was arrested on August 3, 2019, for organising the #RevolutionNow protests.

He said that despite meeting bail conditions, Sowore’s release was delayed for over four months, culminating in a dramatic rearrest inside an Abuja courtroom and years of severe movement restrictions.

The centre questioned whether Sowore could truly compare the DSS that recently charged him to court with the one that detained him for four months despite a court-granted bail. It described his action as being “of the highest order” and claimed his “arrogance” prevents him from acknowledging glaring improvements.

“It is highly ironic that Sowore, who was once subjected to prolonged detention and restricted movement, now moves freely from one event to another and from hotel to hotel, fully enjoying the democratic space and the reformed nature of the DSS under the leadership of the director-general, Oluwatosin Ajayi,” Danfulani stated.

“Rather than acknowledging the positive transformation and professionalism of the DSS—which has been attested to by judicial stakeholders and observers alike—Sowore has chosen to condemn the very agency that has worked tirelessly to sustain Nigeria’s democracy as one of the most formidable institutions in Africa,” he said.

The centre further alleged that Sowore’s persistent attacks on state institutions align with the interests of foreign groups seeking to destabilise the country.

“We cannot keep quiet when critical government institutions are intentionally blackmailed to satisfy the ego of one man. It is well known that Sowore’s actions align with the agenda of foreign organisations whose target is the destabilisation of Nigeria,” he added.