By Chibuzo Uba
This is an unprecedented request. Nobody could have imagined it. But it is real. Many Nigerians are asking President Muhammadu Buhari to deploy the Personnel of the Directorate of State Services, DSS, popular as SSS, to interstate borders to arrest the madness and abuse on the highways, and the borders. In doing that, the spread of the deadly Coronavirus, they say, will be stemmed considerably.
Otherwise, they warn, a tragedy worse than Coronavirus may consume the country. For instance, they fear that the influx of youths, from even Nigeria’s neighbouring countries, into the country, especially to the Southern part of the country, in the name of Almajiris could spell doom.
All kinds of interpretations are already being given to the influx. Some people say it is a deliberate, well-planned invasion of the South.
“I have seen some of them, I have interacted with them. I used an interpreter. Many of them are not Nigerians. They are from Niger Republic and Chad. They have no handiwork. They have no skills. Why are they in Nigeria? What are they flocking to the South to do, in disobedience of a Presidential order, shutting down interstate travels and movements,” a worried Anambra state first class traditional ruler told this magazine”
What worries him most is how they come in, their mode of travelling. “They come in droves in trucks and buses. More often than not, they pass Police and Military-manned check-points without any hassles. There is a large dose of connivance between them and the security men”, he said. And, he gives a verdict: “They have not only compromised the security of the country, helped to flout the President’s order, they have enriched themselves, while breaking the laws”
The reason for which many people are asking that the DSS be deployed, Mr John Mgbedi, a lawyer, told the magazine is: “they seem to be the only security service , aside from the Navy and the Airforce, whose personnel are not deployed along the road, that have not been compromised at the inter-state borders.The others are making a kill by encouraging inter-state movements.”
Their deployment is important, he said, in order to urgently curtail the spread of Coronavirus.
But Garba, a retired Senior Police officer differ. He said: “They do not need to be deployed to the borders. They should be deployed to the motor parks. Ordinarily, there is a branch of the Police – Criminal Investigation Department – whose job is such discreet investigations, but nothing seems the same again.”
The consensus is that the Personnel of the DSS have comported themselves in a manner that had not been associated with them for a long time.
Before now, not many members of the public wanted to have anythIng to do with them. They were known to be in the habit of harrassing people and flaunting their powers at them.
But, they seem to have changed. They make no noise. They insult nobody. They harrass nobody. They are keeping to the rules. When they go wrong, they quietly retrace their steps.
One no longer sees them all over the place introducing themselves, and where they work to people. That time seems to have gone forever.
A retired DSS officer who attributed the change in attitude to leadership, but who pleaded anonymity “so it doesn’t seem like I’m currying favour, said: “Mr Yusuf Bichi, the DG, is not power-drunk. I knew him when I was still in Service He retired before me. He is quiet and level-headed . He does not talk much. He is not in your face. But he is very sharp. You under-estimate him at your peril. He is a competent, quiet operator.”
On Bichi’s appointment, he revealed, he told the us: “My vision is to create a friendly work environment, enhance staff capacity through training and welfare, as well as ensure that the DSS remains a democratically compliant intelligence agency in Nigeria.”
The retired officer says the Agency has stuck to that vision. The welfare of Staff has remained a priority.
“When staff welfare is a priority they give their all, and desist from anything that would embarrass the Service. They have enough training, and the DSS National Institute for Security Studies, Bwari, Abuja, headed by A.S. Adeleke, has been so put together that it has become the bedrock for Security Training and researches not only in Nigeria, but in West Africa.
But the retired officer disagreed with those who want the Personnel deployed to inter-state borders.
“No way. They will do a good job. But that is not their beat. They should be left to do what they do best: gather intelligence that will help secure our country. The boys have their hands full. They are also involved in providing intelligence information on Boko Haram, for example. Many of the successes recorded in the fight are attributable to the intelligence they provided. They are also doing a lot to check the deliberate vandalization of oil pipelines and theft, plus their normal duties. They have their hands full. We need them more in these areas than deploying them to inter state borders because of COVID-19”.
A top shot at the NNPC confirms the role the Service is playing in stemming even pipeline vandalisation.
Speaking to Journalists in confidence after the recent oil pipeline explosion in Lagos, he said: “It is a cartel. From some unscrupulous NNPC staff to corrupt security personnel, they are involved. The only security agency not involved is the SSS”.
But Nigerians want them to come out, and discreetly help stem the tide of movements in between States. They are afraid of the obvious.
They say the movements would worsen the spread of the Virus, and elongate the period of the lockdown.
Here is why.
A number of the security personnel who , like medical personnel, have also put their lives on the line to protect us are distressed.
In our disobedience to lawful orders, they have whipped many into line by either cajoling them, or beating them, and atimes, killing some.
Many of them, especially, the Police, have been killed. At the last count, according to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over 20 of his officers and men have been killed. A couple of days ago, after the IGP spoke, an Inspector was killed.
Nobody can forget easily, the video which went viral, of a woman, who slapped a senior police officer, at least, 10 times, all because the officer tried to enforce the lockdown.
But with the Army, the Police and the NSCDC, there is also the downside of their activities during this difficult period. Aside from the number of civilians they have killed, over 25, while trying to enforce the lockdown, they claim, the conduct of a good number of them has not been salutary. They have misrepresented their services, and painted them in unbefitting colours.
The allegations are too many.
They have made nonsense of the order by the President, their Commader-in-Chief, on movements between States. The order was that there should be no movement from one state to the other. The order was for a complete shut-down at the State borders.
Not affected are those on essential duties, and food transporters.
The borders were left for the NSCDC, the Police and the Military to man. But, many times, it has been a failure. Those asked to man the borders are those sabotaging it, most Nigerians allege.
“The borders have become porous and have been reduced to ATM and POS points for those who man them. In exchange for money, they allow movements in- between States” not a few people accuse.
The movements have come at a high price to the country. And has made nonsense of any gains recorded so far to stem the spread of the Virus.
Now, the people think that with the borders porous, especially, at night, there will be no end to the COVID-19 Virus.
But according to sources, the call by some Nigerians for the deployment of DSS personnel to help stem movements across States will be a hard sell. For, indeed, their hands, like that of other Security Agencies, are full.
