The Northern Ethnic Youth Group Assembly (NEYGA) has lauded the Department of State Services (DSS) for its contributions to national stability and its ongoing fight against banditry and terrorism.
In a statement signed by the group’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Dan-Musa, the group noted what it said were indications of a campaign launched by certain persons to impugn the integrity of the DSS and make the public distrust the agency.
Part of the statement reads: “We read stories quoting some phantom local hunters on the alleged misuse of sophisticated telephone tracking technology by some DSS operatives. The report alleged that technology intended for rescuing kidnap victims, was instead being used by some DSS operatives to extort money from criminals in exchange for concealing their locations.
“While we do not and certainly cannot hold brief for the DSS, we, however, dare say, without fear of contradiction, that such stories were conjured to give the agency a bad name.”
Dan-Musa further said: “We aren’t surprised that this falsehood is coming from the same self-styled activist, who falsely accused the DSS of abducting civil rights activist, Comrade Usman Okai Austin, to please certain political interests. Comrade Austin has since disowned the said activist and publicly apologized for his unfounded allegations against the northern governor.
“The same ‘activist’, in a viral video, falsely accused the DSS of storming the Federal High Court on the day the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned former Governor Yahaya Bello. It turned out that no single DSS operative was anywhere near the court on the said day.”
Speaking on some of the recent achievements of the DSS, Dan-Musa said: “We can’t thank President Bola Tinubu enough for appointing a thoroughbred professional like Mr. Tosin Ajayi as director general of the DSS. From the exploits of the DSS since Ajayi took charge, we are proud to say that President Tinubu made a great choice.
“We, in the North, are particularly happy with how the DSS is working tirelessly to make the North and the rest of Nigeria safe. Very recently, Governors Dauda Lawal and Ahmadu Fintiri of Zamfara and Adamawa States respectively, publicly commended the agency for not only seizing large cache of arms, arresting or neutralizing a large number of bandits and kidnappers, but also for securing the release of kidnapped Roman Catholic priests.
“In 2018, a court awarded ₦10 million damages against the DSS for the 2016 accidental shooting in Bauchi of one Sokoto-born businessman. No former director general agreed to pay the money until Ajayi came. Not only did he pay the ₦10 million, he doubled the figure. Nothing could be more humane. We deeply commend DG Ajayi for that.”
