By Habeeb Olanrewaju Afolabi
The activities of the State Security Service (SSS) is gradually becoming call for concern and steadily generating debate on the real duties and responsibilities of the service. Just few days ago, the SSS were accused by the Ekiti state government for carrying out the duties of Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Army. This was sequel to the arrests of some members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly and top government functionaries by men of the Department of State Services. As a matter of fact, the House of Representatives have summoned Director- General, Department of State Service, (DSS) to appear before it within 48 hours to explain why the DSS invaded Ekiti State House of Assembly.
If we remember vividly, the DSS was also highly criticized during the previous administration especially when it raided the database of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who was then the opposition Party. The then spokesperson of the service, Marylin Ogar was highly criticized for linking some unnamed members of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Boko Haram insurgency. This makes people to begin wonder why the Department of State Security Service was created at the first place. Is it to protect the government in power and frustrate opposition?
The State Security Service (SSS), also known as the Department of State Services (DSS), is the primary domestic intelligence agency of Nigeria. It is primarily responsible for intelligence gathering within the country and for the protection of senior government officials, particularly the President and state governors. It is one of three successor organisations to the National Security Organization (NSO), dissolved in 1986. The mission of the SSS is to protect and defend the Federal Republic of Nigeria against domestic threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of Nigeria, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to both federal and state law-enforcement organs.
The SSS operates as a department within the presidency and is under the control of the National Security Adviser. It is no more news that the SSS engage in virtually every form of crime detection in every part of the country. The SSS has constantly adapted to various roles necessitated by evolving security threats in Nigeria including counter-terrorism and counter-insurgent. The SSS are also expected to delve into non-military issues that threaten internal security of the country, aside prevention and detection of crime.
In this vein, it was not surprising that SSS officials seem to be in every aspect of security overlapping the duties of the Police and sometimes the Nigerian army. For instance, the arrest and prosecution of the case of the Founder of Biafra Radio, Nnamdi Kanu is a case of threat to internal security and it is being dealt with by the SSS. The SSS officials were also on hand to curb the violent protest by Biafran agitators in the south-east.
More so, it was also interesting and when the news broke out that, the Department of State Services (DSS) says it has arrested a suspected major gun fabricator, arms-runner and a covert linkman and courier for the Boko Haram terrorist group. As a matter of fact, the DSS released a statement with regard to the arrest of the gun fabricator saying that, he was arrested in his bid to employ propaganda to manipulate the international community against the efforts of the government in the ongoing war against terror.
While the effort of the state security service to fight insecurity in the country remains laudable and needs to be encouraged, there is need to urge the service to remain non-partisan as possible. Although it could be understandable that, their mission is to protect the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, State Governors, their immediate families, other high ranking government officials, the service shouldn’t soil itself into the murky mud of politics.