DSS: Terrorism, Insurgency Threatened Our Internal Security in Last Two Decades

•NCTC seeks joint efforts against extremists 

•Terrorist leaders surrender to troops in Katsina, free hostages, MNJTF strengthens ties with Chad

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin and Linus Aleke in Abuja

Department of State Service (DSS), yesterday, said, in the last two decades, terrorism and insurgency, had threatened internal security like never before in the nation’s history.

The DSS also said, other threats of national security dimension extended to separatist agitations, militancy, illegal oil bunkering, farmer-herder clashes, ethno-religious hostilities, economic and cyber crimes, political violence and sundry violent crimes, such as armed robbery and kidnapping.

Director General of DSS, Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, made the remarks while delivering the 2025 distinguished personality lecture of the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

Titled “The Roles of the DSS in Security, Peacekeeping and National Integration,” the DSS DG  said despite the constraints mentioned, the secret agency continued to leverage collaboration with sister agencies and engage with stakeholders to navigate identified challenges.

The lecture, which also looked at overview of prevailing internal security challenges in the country, identified traditional threats to national security to include sabotage, subversion and espionage.

Talking on overview of mandate of the DSS on the challenges, he said the Service’s internal security responsibilities was accommodated in the NSA Act CAP N74 LFN, 2024 and SSS Instrument No. 1 of 1999.

Represented by the DSS deputy director, Mr. Patrick Ikenweiwe, Ajayi “summarily mandates the Service to prevent and detect any crime against internal security of Nigeria as well as protect non-military classified national security matters.

“While the latter, promulgated by Retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar administration mandates the Service to among others, prevent, detect and investigate 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 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.”

Ajayi, however, called on stakeholders to checkmate the present situation among Nigerians, whereby they look upon security and intelligence organisations as fiends rather than friends.

He said, such development affected quality and quantity of intelligence produced, “and by extension impact peace building and national integration.

The DSS DG called for strengthening of institutions like intelligence agencies, reorientation on roles and a rethink on recruitment and staffing.

In his address, the director, Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, Professor Abdulganiyu Jawondo, said the centre was established in the year 2008 with the core mandate of producing manpower to tackle the various crises and conflicts of resource management confronting Nigerian communities and the globe at large.

NCTC Seeks Joint Effort against Extremists

The National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA), has called for a collective efforts against violent extremism in Nigeria.

This, it did with the launch of a validation meeting and workshop on the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) Guidelines and Strategic Communication Plan.

The Centre also stressed that the two-day event brought together a diverse pool of participants, including government officials, experts, and stakeholders, to develop a unified approach to tackling radicalisation and violent extremism.

Speaking at the official opening of the validation meeting and workshop on the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) Guidelines and Strategic Communication Plan in Abuja, yesterday, the National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Major General Adamu Laka, said violent extremism remained one of the most complex security challenges facing Nigeria.

He stated that violent extremism threatened national security, communities, institutions, and social cohesion, adding that in response, the federal government has developed a policy framework and national action plan for PCVE, which serves as a guiding strategy for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.

The workshop, he said, focused on two critical components: the domestication and localisation of the PCVE policy framework, and the validation of the PCVE Guidelines and Strategic Communication Plan.

The Director, Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE), Amb. Mairo Musa, said the main objectives of the workshop was centered around enhancing the understanding of the policy framework on preventing and countering violent extremism and facilitating its localisation at institutional, state and community levels.

Terrorist Leaders Surrender to Troops in Katsina, Free Abducted Hostages

Some leaders of the terrorists terrorising Batsari, Safana, and Jibia Local Government Areas of Katsina State, and parts of the North-west region, have surrendered to troops of the joint taskforce of operation Fansan Yamma.

The terrorists, who laid down their arms in the process, also freed kidnapped victims held in their enclaves.

Sources said the laying of arms and surrounding to troops, followed the intensified and coordinated air and artillery bombardment of terrorist enclaves across North-west operational theatres.

The surrendered terrorists included Abu Radda, Umar Black, Abdullahi Lankai, Jijjige, and Dabar Musa Dan Gandu, all operating from the Jibia axis.

Local sources confirmed to a counter-insurgency media expert, Zagazola Makama, that the military’s sustained onslaught against armed groups in the region forced the bandits to seek peace and lay down their arm voluntarily.

Surrendering to the troops, the terrorist leaders appealed to the government for alternative means of livelihood, requesting the construction of markets, hospitals and access to clean water to help them reintegrate into society.

Their surrendering was facilitated by the National Community for Security and Societal Advancement in Katsina (NCSOSACK), led by Comrade Hamisa  Batsari, which represented affected communities in the security dialogue.

Military sources welcomed the development but reiterated that operations against unrepentant terrorists would continue until total peace was restored in Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and the entire North-west region.

MNJTF Strengthens Ties with Chad

The Force Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Major General Godwin Mutkut, has paid a familiarisation visit to the Chadian Defence leadership, with a view to bolstering regional security collaboration.

He also unveiled a strategic plan aimed at enhancing operational effectiveness and addressing emerging security threats.

A statement by Chief Military Information Officer, HQ MNJTF N’djamena, Chad, Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyi Osoba, said during the visit, Mutkut met with Chadian Minister of Armed Forces, Veterans, and War Victims, Issaka Malloua Ndjamous, and Chadian Chief of General Staff, General Abakar Abdelkerim Daoud.

Mutkut also updated the Chadian officials on the MNJTF’s ongoing operations, highlighting its relentless efforts to combat Boko Haram and stabilise the Lake Chad Basin.

Mutkut expressed his gratitude to the Chadian officials for their warm hospitality and pledged to translate their support into tangible results on the ground.

The Force Commander noted that the MNJTF’s success was crucial to stabilising affected areas and restoring lasting peace and security to the region’s people.

Earlier, the Chadian Minister of Armed Forces, Veterans, and War Victims, Issaka Ndjamous praised the positive developments under Mutkut’s command and urged him to continue the legacy of his predecessor in the fight against Boko Haram.

He also applauded the MNJTF for its success in Operation Lake Sanity 2, particularly the dismantling of a significant Boko Haram stronghold.

The Chadian Chief of General Staff, General Abakar Daoud, pledged full support to the MNJTF, particularly in the fight against Boko Haram, and stressed the task force’s symbolic role in representing the brotherhood among Lake Chad region countries.