DSS is a Friend, Not a Fiend – DG Calls for Public Trust in Security Agencies

The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, has called for a reevaluation of the public’s perception of security and intelligence agencies in Nigeria. Addressing stakeholders during the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Ajayi emphasized that viewing these agencies as adversaries hampers effective intelligence gathering, peace building, and national integration.

Represented by DSS Deputy Director Mr. Patrick Ikenweiwe, Ajayi delivered a lecture titled “The Roles of the DSS in Security, Peacekeeping, and National Integration.” He highlighted the necessity for robust institutions, a shift in public mindset, and strategic recruitment policies to enhance the nation’s security framework.

Ajayi underscored the importance of recruiting top academic talents into the DSS, suggesting that the nation’s brightest graduates should be mandated to serve in intelligence roles. He stated, “If I had my way, the best students from universities should be mandated to serve the country in intelligence roles.

” Drawing parallels with Israel’s approach to university admissions, he emphasized that effective intelligence work demands high intellectual capacity. “It takes intellect to track criminality. You cannot expect a dullard to outthink a criminal gang made up of highly intelligent individuals,” he added.

The lecture provided an overview of Nigeria’s internal security challenges, noting traditional threats such as sabotage, subversion, and espionage. Ajayi observed that in the past two decades, issues like terrorism, insurgency, separatist agitations, militancy, illegal oil bunkering, farmer-herder conflicts, cybercrime, political violence, armed robbery, and kidnapping have posed unprecedented challenges.

He also outlined the DSS’s mandate under the NSA Act CAP N74 LFN, 2024, and SSS Instrument No. 1 of 1999, which empower the agency to prevent and investigate threats to national security, including espionage, terrorism, and economic crimes. Additionally, the DSS is tasked with providing timely security advice to the government.

In his address, the Director of the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, Professor Abdulganiyu Jawondo, highlighted the centre’s role in manpower development for crisis and conflict resolution. He noted that since its establishment in 2008, the centre has trained officers from the Nigerian Armed Forces, security agencies, and other nations, equipping them with skills to handle contemporary security challenges.

The lecture reinforced the need for strategic intelligence gathering, stronger institutional frameworks, and public collaboration in tackling Nigeria’s security challenges. Ajayi’s call for a paradigm shift in public perception aims to foster a more collaborative relationship between citizens and security agencies, ultimately enhancing national security and cohesion.