*Demands Buhari to disband, reconstitute DSS
*In an open letter
From Idris Ahmed
Your Excellency, I am writing this open letter as a concerned citizen, and as the head of CUPS (Citizens United for Peace and Security). CUPS is a human rights organisation created to mitigate the on-going genocide against our people in Northern Nigeria. It is our aim to espouse for the unity, peace, and security of all Nigerians, irrespective of political, tribal, religious, and gender orientations.
We are the fastest growing human rights organisation in Nigeria. We have membership both at home and from the diaspora communities around the world. After 16 years of the darkest period in Nigeria’s history during which Nigerians witnessed the worst manifestation of corruption, tyranny, impunity, poverty, deprivation, insecurity, genocide, and occupation, thanks to God for His divine intervention, a historic change has come about.
For the first time in our history, we Nigerians put aside our political, religious, tribal, and other selfish considerations to mobilise ourselves in millions and voted you into office as our last hope.
Politicisation of the military and security agencies: Your Excellency, the expectations of the Nigerian masses on you are monumental. Besides the calamitous level of grandeur theft, poverty and insecurity that was deliberately inflicted on Nigerians, one of the other worst things to have happened to Nigeria during the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) administration was the criminal politicisation of the military, security and law enforcement agencies along religious and tribal lines.
This was done with the sole intent of holding on to power at all cost. And if that failed, GEJ and his cabal were prepared to break Nigeria up into banana republics, with devastating consequences on all Nigerians and the rest of Africans. Your Excellency, the politicisation of the military by the GEJ administration besides destroying the once glorious organisation has led to the worst destruction of infrastructure, human life, and property, the type Nigeria has never seen in its 100 years history, through Boko Haram insurgency.
Dismissal of all the military service chiefs: It was the politicisation of the military that led to allocation of a whooping 25% of Nigeria’s budget to defence, yet there was no tangible return on investment. The military generals were busy plundering significant amount of money allocated to defence, while at the same time criminally abdicating from their duties of providing adequate funding for military equipment, training for rank and file of personnel, and paying salaries and allowances on time.
Worst still, it was the same military generals that connived to provide financial, military, and logistics support to the Boko Haram insurgents. If this has not been the case, how does one explain the incapacity of supposedly the mightiest military in Africa to defeat a rag tag bunch of marauding barbarians? Upon your assumption in office, most Nigerians expected to see the immediate dismissal of all the military service chiefs. This includes the DG of DSS and the so called National Security Adviser. Of course, this has not yet happened.
Furthermore, Nigerians expected that military officers from the ranks of Colonels to Generals to be thoroughly investigated for treachery, grandeur theft, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Those found guilty should be accorded proper legal protection but should also be swiftly tried, dismissed and punished according to the provisions of the law. While your administration has already taken steps to deal with the military, albeit in a slow pace to the chagrin of most Nigerians, as a former military general, Nigerians trust your judgment in this matter.
Nigerians and foreigners alike, laud your bold decision to move the Command and Control Centre of the fight against Boko Haram to Maiduguri. Your Excellency, the politicisation of the DSS by the GEJ administration has equally been deadly on the security of Nigeria and Nigerians. It has brought about a dangerous untenable situation whereby unless you take firm decisive actions to restore confidence, discipline and sense of purpose, Nigerians risks losing the significant gains we achieved by electing you as President.
Based on the leaked document sent to the CUPS organisation, we are in a position to categorically inform Your Excellency, fellow Nigerians, and the rest of the world that the DSS under its current leadership by Mr. Ita Ekpeyong, poses a significant threat to your life and that of the security of the Nigerian state. As things stand today, the DSS is operating as a fully funded and armed private mafia organisation whose loyalty and sympathy squarely lies with the defunct GEJ administration, and not with Your Excellency.
It is fair to say that we the Nigerian masses expect you to treat your personal safety and security as that of all the 180 million Nigerians put together. This is because you are our last hope for salvation. Following your successful inauguration, you issued a directive to the Army, Airforce, Navy, and the DSS to furnish the Presidency with the list of personnel who will constitute the Presidential security detail. This was to allow the Presidency enough time to screen the officers before they arrive at the Villa.
As you are already aware, all the Service Chiefs immediately complied, except Mr. Ita Ekpeyong. Instead of complying with the Presidential directive, the DG posted 253 of his selected henchmen to the Presidency on Wednesday 10/06/2015 without your approval. The reason for his non-compliance is best known to him. Despite receiving a Presidential directive, it is very alarming to note that 253 DSS officers were sent to the Presidency by the DSS, against the orders of the Commander in Chief or the Armed Forces.
Your Excellency, we contend that if the DG is not prepared to take instructions from the Commander in Chief, then he is definitely not fit for purpose. Similarly, we interestingly note that one Mr. Widi Liman, who worked as one of the 3 PAs to the DG, has been strategically positioned as the Administration Officer at the Presidency. This is a wholly unacceptable arrangement, as the risk factor is great.
Your Excellency, this is not the first time that this DG has shown disdain for professional works ethics and standards in order to further his ambition of supporting GEJ’s dangerous political agenda for Nigeria, and at all cost. In August 2012, while acting with impunity, the same DG masterminded the unethical and shameful redeployment of 50 DSS officers of Northern origins out of the Presidency.
Ten officers from the South West and 7 from the South East were also redeployed. They were immediately replaced by carefully selected DSS officers from Niger Delta. As though filling up the DSS with his henchmen and women is not bad enough, the current DG operates the DSS like a terror organisation much worse than Boko Haram. Nigerians know where they stand with Boko Haram. Everybody knows that they are a blood sucking Satanic organisation hired as mercenaries to cause death and destruction in Northern Nigeria.
People either take evasive actions to save their lives or confront them with full force where feasible. Unfortunately, such is not the case with the DSS. People mistake them for a genuine government security agency whose job among others is to provide counter insurgency intelligence and protect life and property. Instead of providing intelligence, and protecting life and property, the DSS under GEJ undermined democracy by rigging elections.
They provided material and logistics support to Boko Haram, and destroyed human life and property through targeted killings. Your Excellency, outlined below are some but not all of the offences committed by state directors and other senior officers of the DSS under GEJ administration.
- MARILYN OGAR: On 23/02/2015, the CUPS organisation raised alarm about a leaked dangerous plan hatched by the DSS to supposedly “capture” one of the clones of Abubakar Shekau before a week to the 28th March general elections. The captured Shekau went through intensive training by the DSS on what to say when introduced to a global media news conference. He was to say that Your Excellency was one of their core sponsors. Purportedly secretly recorded phone calls between Your Excellency and Boko Haram leaders were going to be released. The aim of this dangerous criminal enterprise was to destroy Your Excellency’s reputation both at home and abroad. While Northern Muslims were to feel ashamed and disappointed, Northern Christians and Southern voters were going to be discouraged from voting for your Excellency. The Shekau’s confession was alleged to be so perfectly planned that your Excellency may even be arrested for complicity in terrorism. The sum of 4.5 billion Naira was allegedly budgeted for this heinous crime. The purpose of the budget was to placate and coerce some Northern clerics and traditional rulers to reject your Excellency’s presidential candidature. We at CUPS contend that had this plan succeeded, it had the potential to plunge Nigeria into a civil war. The architects of this plan had completely underestimated the will of Nigerian masses to affect total change by voting you into office.
- MARILYN OGAR: In September 2014, the Australian peace negotiator, Reverend Canon Dr. Stephen Davis, who was appointed by the GEJ administration, made a startling allegation that the former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Onyabor Azubuike Ihejirika, and the former Governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, were complicit in the Boko Haram insurgency. Considering the severity of the allegation, and the level of destruction to human life, property, and infrastructure caused by Boko Haram, a swift and thorough investigation is what would have ensued if the DSS were an internal security agency worth its ounce of salt. Without conducting any investigation whatsoever, and without any regard for due process of law, within 24 hours of that allegation being made public, Marilyn Ogar went on national television to lambast Dr. Stephen Davis for “blackmailing” two “innocent” gentlemen. She went further to exonerate Lieutenant Gen Ihejirika and Senator Sheriff of any wrong doing.
- MARILYN OGAR: Towards the end of 2014, with total impunity, Marilyn Ogar made several libelous statements on national television which are completely unbecoming of her position as the spokesperson of Nigeria’s internal security agency. On one occasion, without substantiating her allegation, she alleged that the APC was a terrorist organisation. On another occasion, she alleged that the APC had offered her “substantial” bribe but she declined to collect it. The same Ms. Ogar is however linked to several multi-million corruption scandals, which she has failed to refute. Even the#BringbackOurGirls campaign organiation was not safe from Marilyn Ogar’s treachery. Without substantiation her disparaging comments, she declared on national television that the organisation was infiltrated by terrorists.
- ABDULGANIYU O. DAUDU: The Assistant Director Internal Security (ADIS), Abdulganiyu O. Daudu, in flagrant violation of his position as a national security officer, organised the production of a video campaign jingle designed to damage the good image of his Excellency just before the presidential election. This jingle was aired several weeks on many television networks supported by the GEJ administration.
- ABDULGANIYU O. DAUDU: Without a legal warrant and any warning, on Saturday 22/11/2014, a team of armed mobile police and DSS officers invaded the APC Secretariat in Acme Road, Ikeja, Lagos. Computers and communication equipment worth millions were destroyed. 28 staff working at the APC IT data centre were unlawfully arrested. This illegal operation was also masterminded by Mr. Daudu, according to the leaked DSS document sent to CUPS.
- MARY OTUBU: On Tuesday 31/03/2015, while appearing live on national and global television broadcast, the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe disrupted the announcement of the Presidential election results. He falsely accused the INEC Chairman Professor Attahiru Jega as being “tribalistic, selective, and partial.” This embarrassing shenanigan would not have happened were it not for the fact that Ms. Mary Otubu, the DSS director at INEC, deliberately withdrew her protection officers for Jega on that day. She has since been posted as Director State Service Academy (SSA) in Lagos for her efforts.
- FELIX IKUMAKPAYI: During the March 2015 general elections, DSS staff were deployed throughout the 36 states of the federation including Abuja to help with rigging of the elections in favour of the PDP. Some officers obliged and a few others declined to participate. All of those who participated were handsomely rewarded by illegal promotions. Over 300 officers were promoted for their loyalty to the PDP. According to the leaked document, this illegal promotion exercise was supervised by the DSS Director of Finance and Administration, Mr. Felix Ikumakpayi. Mr Ikumakpayi has since been promoted to the position of Director of Economic Intelligence for his efforts.
- ANGELA OLESENI: The DSS staff who cooperated in helping to rig the elections in favour of PDP were promoted to the rank of officers. Those officers who refused to participate in the illicit activities were transferred to less favourable locations across the country as punishment for non-compliance. The illicit promotion of over 100 staff, and the illicit transfer of officers who declined to cooperate was coordinated by Assistant Director Personnel Management, Angela Oleseni, who has since been promoted.
- WASIU AGBAJE: Computer and telephone hacking is at the core of DSS illicit operations against innocent Nigerians both at home and in diaspora. Principal Staff Officer (PSO) in charge of Communications Intelligence (COMINT), Mr. Wasiu Agbaje, is tasked with the job of hacking into your Excellency’s mobile telephone communications. He configured the DG’s laptop to be able to hack into your Excellency’s mobile phones even if the DG is out of office. The DG could access the DSS network remotely using a secure link. This allows him to operate as though he is in the office. For his excellent hacking work, Mr Agbaje was promoted twice in 2010, and also got promoted after GEJ had lost the presidential election.
- BEN NWAFOR: Since 2010 when the current DG assumed office, hundreds or even thousands of innocent Nigerians were executed through extra-judicial killings by the DSS. These illegal killings were coordinated by the Assistant Director in Charge of Special Threats and Tactics Team (STATT), Mr. Ben Nwafor.
- PHILIPS MASTER: Under the guise of Counter Terrorism Investigation Department (CTID), the PSO Tactical, Mr. Philips Master, masterminded the extra-judicial execution of hundreds or even thousands of innocent Nigerians, including the Apo killings of Keke Napep operators in Abuja in September 2013. As a coverup, the DSS connived with the military to label the victims as members of Boko Haram. According to the leaked document, he too has been reward with promotions.
- DOYIN ADETUBERU: Captain Sagir Kooli, an Intelligence Officer of the Nigerian Army serving at the 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure, leaked a video showing how the August 2014 governorship election in Ekiti was rigged by the PDP, with the help of police, DSS, and the Army. The shipment of rigged election materials from Abuja to Ekiti was coordinated by DSS officer Doyin Adetuberu. Prior to the presidential election, a significant false and damaging amount of documentary programmes were produced and passed over to the AIT network for broadcasting. This was coordinated and deployed by Ms Adetuberu. Ms Adetuberu worked as a member of the deadly team used by the former governor of Ogun state, Gbenga Daniel before assuming his position as the PSO to Marlyn Ogar. This officer has since been promoted to the Presidency as the Security Officer for the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
- WIDI LIMAN: Following the victory of your Excellency at the Presidential polls, the DSS recruited the services of an Israeli company to plant a comprehensive covert surveillance and spying infrastructure at the Villa with the intention of spying on your Excellency’s government. This treasonable job was coordinated by the former PA to the DG, Mr. Widi Liman, who is now your Excellency’s Administration Officer at the Villa.
- TOSIN AJAYI: In order to perpetuate the Boko Haram scam, the DSS took some high profile Boko Haram members from their detention centre in Abuja to Balmo/Darazo forest in Bauchi state and created a new fictitious Boko Haram splinter group called “Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan.” The DSS provided them with money, arms, ammunition, and logistics support. This treasonous operation was coordinated by the former DSS director in Bauchi state, Tosin Ajayi. Following the defeat of GEJ, he has since been transferred to Enugu as the state director after spending over 5 years in Bauchi as director.
- AHMED ABDULLAHI: The DSS has been instrumental in undermining the Nigerian military’s capacity to eliminate the Boko Haram insurgency. They connived with the military’s highest command to sabotage the ordinary soldiers and their commanders fighting Boko Haram. This callous act of treason was effectively achieved in Borno state where Ahmed Abdullahi has been the DSS director for over 5 years. Following the defeat of GEJ, he has since been transferred to Abuja as the Director of Security Enforcement (DSE). He is also promoted to the rank of substantive director.
- ABAYOMI ZAMBA: Since the current DG assumed office in 2010, the DSS has been releasing bogus libelous information to the public domain that your Excellency has held meetings with Boko Haram leaders in Kaduna. This conspiracy to tarnish your Excellency’s image was carefully coordinated by the Kaduna state director, Mr. Abayomi Zamba. Mr. Zamba also played a significant role in undermining your Excellency’s chances of winning the 2011 presidential election, which resulted to riots and loss of human life in Kaduna state. After 5 years in Kaduna, Mr. Zamba was transferred to Niger state to cover his track, and was promoted as a substantive director.
- LARRY OBIAGWU: One of the state directors closest to the DG is Mr. Larry Obiagwu. He was in charge of Niger state for over 5 years where he aided in the rigging of elections in favour of the PDP. Following the defeat of GEJ, he was promoted and got transferred to Kaduna to help undermine Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
- IBRAHIM KATSINA: During the 2011 presidential elections campaign, a wicked and criminal attempt was made to endanger your Excellency’s life in Kebbi by pouring tonnes of sand at the airstrip, which stopped your plane from landing. This dangerous clandestine operation was supervised by Mr. Ibrahim Katsina, who has been the director for Kebbi state for over 5 years. Following the defeat of GEJ, he was promoted and got transferred to Bauchi state.
- BASSEY ETENG: On Friday the 28th November 2014, there were triple bomb blasts at the Kano Central Masjid, which targeted the Emir of Kano, HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II. More than 200 innocent people lost their lives in that carnage. According to the leaked document, the Kano state DSS director, Mr. Bassey Eteng, who served in the state for more than 5 years, was responsible for masterminding the carnage. To cover up for his heinous crimes, after GEJ lost the election, he was promoted to a substantive director and was transferred to Abuja as Director of Operations.
- MARKSON OBEDE: His Excellency’s telephones have always been bugged by the DSS. This became escalated to include top APC officials across the country. In the meantime the DSS halted the telephone bugging of all Boko Haram suspects and kidnappers. Following the defeat of GEJ at the polls, the Assistant Director of Communications Intelligence (COMINT), Mr. Markson Obede, managed to secure the services of the Israeli Intelligence Agency (MOSSAD) to install additional bugging devices at the Villa to spy on your Excellency.
- EKANONE: The DSS actively and openly participated in the rigging of elections in Ekiti, Anambra, Cross Rivers, and Osun states. These rigging operations were reinforced with the coordination of Ms Ekanone. She has been the director in Delta state for over 5 years, but was transferred to Akwa Ibom following the defeat of GEJ at the polls.
- ADEBAYO E.: Many DSS officers were drafted from the South to assist the rigging of elections in Osun state. Some DSS officers were even instructed to shoot at the opposition APC members. Adebayo E. was the state director in Imo state who helped to coordinate the elections sabotage. Following the defeat of GEJ at the polls, he was promoted to substantive director and transferred to Delta state.
- RAYMOND NKEMDIRIM: He was the Director of Operations at the DSS Headquarters in Abuja for over 5 years. He was the mastermind and coordinator of all the DSS intrigues. He was, and still remains the DG’s most trusted confidant and was the brain behind all of his policies and atrocities. He was supposed to retire in 2014, but the DG retained him so as to mobilise resources to help GEJ win the 2015 Presidential elections. Following the defeat of GEJ at the polls, he is still being retained as Special Assistant to the DG on contract basis. There is special directive made by the DG that all operational files should be passed to Mr. Nkemdirim.
- GORDON OBUA: The Chief Security Officer to GEJ was Gordon Obua. He is one of those officers who believed that stealing is not corruption. During his tenure in office, he claimed two separate vouchers to pay DSS staff at the Presidency. During the last general elections, GEJ ordered the payment of N300 million to DSS personnel in line with what was paid to the military personnel. The ADC (military) paid his personnel their full dues, while the DSS were paid half their due by Mr Obua. When GEJ got a gist of this grandeur theft, he ordered the CSO to return the rest of the unpaid money. Gordon paid back only N70m and pocketed the rest. He hired a USA company to install sensitive equipment at the Villa at the cost of 12,968,427.83 Euros. He collected this sum from the NNPC. It is also alleged that he might have collected the same sum from the FCDA. He however never paid the USA contractor a single Euro. Thanks to his grandeur thieving ways, the CSO has since become a powerful businessman. He now owns Forte oil petrol station opposite the Transcorp Hotel in Abuja, which he bought for N1.5 billion. He also owns expensive estates around the country. If the recruitment policy, retention, promotion, and management style of the current DSS DG is to create a mafia like army full of religious and tribal bigots, and saboteurs, then himself and his manifestly corrupt organisation have no place in the new Nigeria that we worked so hard to salvage from the hands of the defunct GEJ tyrannical regime. It is clearly evident from the leaked DSS document that securing Nigeria from internal threats has never been their agenda. After wasting billions of Naira of taxpayers’ money, the DG and his henchmen rather posed even more threats to Nigeria in a hopeless attempt to achieve their selfish personal interests and foster some dangerous political ambitions nurtured by GEJ and his cabal.
Your Excellency, no country on the planet will tolerate such nonsense. As the Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, it will be hailed as a major political astuteness on your part by most Nigerians if you scrap the current treasonous DSS outfit and reconstruct it based on sound principles of patriotism, professionalism, and fit for purpose, to serve all Nigerians, irrespective of tribal, religious, political, gender, and other considerations. Your Excellency, the millions of Nigerians who put aside their traditional rivalries to vote you into office did so with the great hope that for once in their lifetime, they will enjoy the privileges of a fully functioning country. On the other hand, nobody voted for impunity for anyone. Following your inauguration, there is a significant goodwill towards you from both within and outside of the country. This goodwill is likely to quickly evaporate if you are deemed to be too soft on criminals of whatever description. Therefore, all those who are found guilty of breaking the law like the DG DSS and his henchmen and women must be brought to justice. We may never know the full extent of the criminality and extra-judicial killings done by the DSS until a full scale investigation is carried out. What has been released in this leaked document may just be the tip of the iceberg.
Finally, your Excellency, following your successful outing at the recent AU summit in South Africa, you have heard from your fellow heads of state why fixing Nigeria has become obligatory not only for the sake of this generation of Nigerians, it has become obligatory to do so for the sake of every African and indeed every Blackman and woman living on the planet. Nigeria has the capacity to become one of the greatest countries on earth, and a beacon of hope for Africa and developing nations alike. The natural and human resources needed to realise this dream are abundantly readily available on ground. What is needed is strong leadership, vision, and the political will to achieve it. We at CUPS and indeed the rest of Nigerians are confident that your Excellency will seize this moment of history and deliver.
May God save Nigeria and Nigerians. Amen.
Dr. Idris Ahmed wrote this piece with his contacts at
- https://twitter.com/CUPS_nigeria