A group, Nation Building Imperatives (NBI), has cautioned against the danger of politicising and belittling the nation’s security apparatuses, warning that such would not support efforts to bind the country together and ensure internal and external security.

The group gave the warning against the backdrop of what it described as wild and unfounded allegations against the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and advised against impugning the integrity of the nation’s secret service in exchange for political profits.

In a statement signed by the National Coordinator of the group, Dagogo Henshaw, and Public Affairs Officer, Danjuma Mwantok, NBI observed that there were efforts to create tension and disaffection among various secret service agencies, notably the Department of State Services (DSS), the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

It cautioned that if the current war being waged against the agencies is allowed to stand, the entire security architecture of the country would significantly diminish under the influence of politicians, who do not have the interest of the nation at heart.

The group, which referenced the media activities of a Nigerian Twitter (now known as X) user, Jackson Ude, whose recent activities suggest a clear intention to tarnish the image of the officers and men of the DSS, advised Nigerians to work towards the preservation of the reputation of the DSS as secret police in the overall interest of the country.

On the allegations by Ude that the DSS Director General, Yusuf Bichi, has refused to implement a certain 40 per cent salary increment for officers and men of the service, the group dismissed the claim as spurious and unfounded, wondering how the DG of the establishment could prevent the implementation of a welfare package that was already approved.

“We view this allegation as mischievous and unfounded because the DG of DSS can’t prevent the implementation of welfare packages for his staff when he was not the person who made the approval in the first place. It is a known fact that the salaries and welfare packages of all federal civil servants, including the military and paramilitary services are approved and coordinated by the Nigeria Salaries and Wages Commission,” the group said.

On the allegation that Bichi’s wife was working with Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, President’s daughter, to extend the tenure of the DS DG, the group dismissed the allegation as a part of what was inherited from the 2023 elections politicking.

“We make bold to say that Jackson Ude displayed his ignorance of the workings of both the presidency and the Department of State Services in this claim. Managing the security of a nation’s President is not the same thing as managing the security of the chairman of a social club. Securing the President of a country, not the least a big country like Nigeria, is a full-time job that demands round-the-clock attention and an allegation such as was made by Jackson Ude is also capable of distracting the CSO whose task of protecting his principal could be jeopardised. Issues about intelligence agencies are treated with caution to avoid distractions.”