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DG seeks compulsory recruitment of first-class graduates into DSS

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The Director-General of the Department of State Services, Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, has called for a policy mandating the recruitment of first-class graduates into the intelligence agency to strengthen national security.

Ajayi made this call while delivering the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

In his lecture, titled “The Roles of the DSS in Security, Peacekeeping, and National Integration,” Ajayi emphasised the need for a paradigm shift in recruitment and staffing within security agencies to ensure only the best minds are enlisted.

Represented by the DSS Deputy Director, Mr. Patrick Ikenweiwe, the DG argued that recruiting top academic performers into the DSS should be a compulsory national policy, similar to Israel’s selective university admission system.

The DSS DG stressed the need for a shift in public perception, noting that many Nigerians view security agencies as adversaries rather than allies.

He warned that such attitudes negatively impact intelligence gathering, peacebuilding, and national integration.

“Like I know, in Israel, there is one examination that students take to get admitted into the university. The moment you score above 70 marks, you have no option but to be sent to the university there.”

He contended that intelligence work requires exceptional intellect to tackle sophisticated criminal networks.

“Tell me how would a ‘Dundee’ (dullard) be able to keep security in a criminal gang that is constituted of First Class people? You know, it takes intellect to track criminality.”

“So, if I have my way in this country, and we keep praying that we do the right thing, the academia should be able to supply us, sincerely, the details of students who have excelled in their various fields of study so that they would be forced to serve this great nation,” he said.

The lecture further highlighted the critical role of intelligence agencies in safeguarding national security, emphasising that public perception of security organisations as adversaries rather than allies hampers intelligence gathering and peacebuilding.

Addressing Nigeria’s security landscape, Ikenweiwe noted that traditional threats such as sabotage, subversion, and espionage have evolved into more complex challenges, including terrorism, insurgency, separatist agitations, militancy, cybercrime, and economic sabotage.

He reaffirmed the DSS’s commitment to tackling these threats through strategic collaborations with sister agencies and continuous stakeholder engagement.

Speaking on an overview of the mandate of the DSS, he said the service’s internal security responsibilities are accommodated in the NSA Act CAP N74 LFN, 2024 and SSS Instrument No. 1 of 1999.

“The former summarily mandates the Service to prevent and detect any crime against the internal security of Nigeria as well as protect non-military classified national security matters, while the latter, promulgated by Abdulsalami Abubakar, mandates the service to, among others, prevent, detect and investigate the threat of espionage, subversion, sabotage, terrorism, separatist agitation, law and order and economic crimes of national security dimension.

“The instrument also demands that the DSS gives timely advice to the government on all matters of national security interest. Most importantly, the Service is empowered by the aforementioned legal frameworks to execute other functions as may from time to time be assigned by Mr. President, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

“The centre also offers short-time capacity-building training in those areas. Quite a number of officers from the Nigeria Armed Forces, other security agencies as well as officers of other nations have benefitted from the programmes, graduated and are doing well in their callings,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a related development, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu on Wednesday received a delegation from the DSS, led by the Deputy Director-General, Mrs. Afolashade Adekayaoja, at the State House, Abuja.

The visit underscored the administration’s commitment to empowering women in leadership roles within the security sector.

Tinubu applauded the DSS for appointing a woman to such a high-ranking position, stating, “Women who have proven themselves in their careers deserve recognition and leadership roles. This is a testament to my husband’s long-standing belief that women are highly responsible and committed.”

She urged female leaders in the DSS to support one another and diligently execute their duties to inspire future generations.

In response, Adekayaoja expressed gratitude for the administration’s commitment to gender inclusivity and reaffirmed the DSS’s dedication to ensuring national security and stability.

With the push for compulsory recruitment of Nigeria’s brightest minds into intelligence services, the DSS aims to bolster its operational effectiveness in addressing evolving security threats and strengthening national peace and integration.

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‘No one can chase us out of Plateau, it’s our state too’ – Fulani youth leader vows

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A Fulani youth leader in Plateau State, Hamisu Garba, has insisted that any attempt by natives to forcefully intimidate and chase them out of the state will not work as they are also citizens of the state.

Hamisu, who spoke to Ekwutosblog in an exclusive interview, said he and most Fulani people were born and raised in Plateau State and they do not know any other place apart from the state and as such, are from Plateau going by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which makes it clear that one can claim state of origin where he was born.

Hamisu wondered why some certain people were vehemently bent and concentrating efforts in seeing that Fulani people are exterminated and sent packing from Plateau, noting that such attempts will be resisted.

 

“I, like many other Fulani people, are also part of Plateau State and efforts, or should I say attempts to intimidate, frustrate and chase us out of Plateau will not work,” Hamisu said.

“I was born in Plateau State, I have my indigene form duly signed by both my district head and local government chairman which makes me a bona fide citizen of Plateau State.

“My parents were born in Plateau State and all my siblings were born and raised in Plateau State.

“All my life, I have lived in Plateau, I went to primary, secondary and university in Plateau State.

“The longest I have been out of Plateau was when I went for my youth service in Enugu State. So tell me, why would anyone say I am not from the state?

“So if anyone says we should leave Plateau, where do they want us to go? Is it a crime that we are Fulanis? Why are some people always profiling us as criminals and trouble makers?

“Yes, I agree that there are criminal elements among our people and just like our Governor, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang said sometime ago, there are also criminals in other tribes.

“There are Mwaghavul criminals; there are Berom criminals; there are Tarok criminals; there are Ngas criminals; there are Irigwe criminals; there are Mupun criminals and there are Fulani criminals.

“But everyone is only concentrating on the Fulani, putting all efforts at demonizing and profiling all of us as criminals. I agree that some herders do go out of their way to cause problems but that does not mean all of them do that.

“I can tell you that most of the so-called bandits who attack some communities in the state are not only Fulani people.

“From our investigations, we have found out that there are even the natives among them who are recruited and paid.

“It will interest you to know that some natives are paid as little as N20,000 to provide information on their communities.

“So are those ones Fulani people as well? We have been living in peace for years. I grew up in our village rearing our cattle, playing with our neighbours, visiting them during Christmas and Easter, and they also visited us during Sallah and we ate together, played football together and some of our older uncles and aunties were married to the natives.

“We all lived in peace but I don’t know where and when the battle line was drawn and all of a sudden, the Fulani people became an endangered species that must be exterminated and chased out of Plateau State.

“But I dare say such will not work. No one, and I repeat, no one can chase us out of Plateau State.

“We as youth leaders have been engaging our people and educating them to live peacefully with others. We have been advocating for peaceful coexistence and we expect other tribes to do the same thing instead of putting all their efforts at demonizing us and putting all criminal acts in the state at our doorstep.

“Like I said earlier, not all Fulani people are criminals and bandits.

“We also have criminals in other tribes as well and everyone knows this. We just want to be left alone,” Hamisu stated.

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Alleged Land Grabbing: We have enough evidence to investigate monarch- Delta govt

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The Delta State government said it has gotten enough evidence from protesters that would help in its investigation of alleged land grabbing by the traditional ruler of Owa Kingdom, Obi, Emmanuel Efeizomor.

The Special Adviser to the State Governor on Peace Building and Conflict Resolution, Edwin Uzor, leading the inquiry process, confirmed he has received evidential testimonies from some of the aggrieved persons; majority of whom are widows.

While addressing Owa-Oyibu Development Initiative, ADI, which had earlier protested over the matter but soft-pedalled following appeal by the leadership of the State House of Assembly, he said his office has commenced investigative inquiry into the matter.

He assured that the state government would speed up investigation with a view to resolving the crisis and come up with a peaceful resolution.

While enjoining the aggrieved parties to sheath their swords, he assured that the state government would get to the root of the matter. He said the administration of Hon Sheriff Oborevwori was irrevocably committed to ensuring that no Deltan is victimized by anyone on the account of his or her financial or social status.

He enjoined the youths in the community to give the state government the benefits of the doubts by remaining peaceful and calm.

Addressing the over hundred persons, all of whom are indigenes of Owa Kingdom, Uzor said, “we have gotten enough evidence from you that would help us in our investigation process.

“I want to commend you for your peaceful disposition so far. Meanwhile, we wish to appeal that you continue to maintain the existing peace even as we continue in our investigation”.

However, Chairman, Owa-Oyibu Development Initiative, Ogha-ni-ihun Oyibu, Benson Nkeki said the group had decided to embark on a wide protest against the monarch and the palace over alleged high-handedness, bothering largely on land grabbing and forcefully dispossessing land owners of their lands under false pretense.

He said the meeting was an aftermath of the group’s protest on the alleged land grabbing by the traditional ruler of Owa Kingdom, Obi Emmanuel Efeizomor.

Nkeki assured that following the intervention by the state government vis-a-vis the ongoing investigative inquiry into the allegation, the group is committed to giving the state government the benefits of the doubts.

“As law abiding citizens, we are prepared to give the state government the benefit of the doubts. If things are not done the way it should, we will continue with our protest even to the National Assembly level and beyond” Nkeki said.

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Ghana Deports Nigerian Convicted for Smuggling Fake $100,000

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A Ghanaian court has ordered the deportation of Nigerian Aremu Adegboyega after convicting him for smuggling counterfeit CFA francs worth over $100,000 through an illegal border route.

Arrested in 2023 at the Aflao border, he was fined GH¢4,440 or faces up to two years in prison if he defaults.

Adegboyega admitted receiving the fake notes from a Nigerian contact on instructions from a suspected mafia figure in Côte d’Ivoire.

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