Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation has revealed that the Department of State Services, DSS, foiled a number of would-have-been military coups in Nigeria.
The former Minister said the DSS under the leadership of the urbane Yusuf Magaji Bichi has been greatly instrumental in containing insecurity in the country, most of them, unknown to the public.
Fani-Kayode reacted to a recent report that the DSS boss looted “staff subsidy grant” from the Federal Government. Jackson Ude, a blogger raised the allegations, which have been dismissed by a number of people as nonsense, in one of his reports.
Fani-Kayode’s reaction was contained in his verified twitter handle on Sunday.
The DSS has vehemently denied the allegation in a statement issued by its Director of Information, Dr, Peter Afunaya, at the weekend.
There is no such fund, Afunanya said, and emphasised that if there was, Bichi, an acclaimed welfarist, would have immediately, ordered its disbursement to personnel.
Reacting, to Ude’s report, seen by many as sponsored, Fani-Kayode dismissed it as totally false. He challenged the sponsor of the report to prove the allegation.
Fani-Kayode who described Bichi as a “decent man and dedicated servant of Nigerian state,” challenged Ude “To come to Nigeria to go to the courts to prove all he has said against,” the DSS boss.
According to him, the DSS boss is a patriotic Nigerian, who alongside other security agencies has defended democracy by frustrating the efforts of terrorists to destroy the country.
He said Bichi should be celebrated for fighting corruption rather than being vilified on allegation that cannot be substantiated.
He said, “If he (Ude) chooses to come, once on Nigerian soil, I will personally guarantee his safety.
“Permit me to add the following. Had it not been for Bichi and his DSS, Boko Haram and ISWAP would have taken Abuja years ago and democracy may well have been brought to an end by mutinous soldiers during the tenure of @MBuhari.
“He, in collaboration with the leadership of the other intelligence agencies and the military of those days, exposed and thwarted many coup attempts and ensured that the Islamist terrorists were repelled and contained.
“For this his laudable efforts in the fight against corruption and so much more, we should commend him rather than vilify him.
“I urge my brother @jacksonpbn to sheath his sword and view this matter from the prism of patriotism rather than partisan politics.
“Anyone that knows him well will tell you that Bichi is not a politician and neither does he play politics.
“He is a total and complete professional and a deeply religious man that is completely committed to democracy and the stability of the Nigerian state.
“I am proud to say that there are some institutions and individuals that are still worth defending in Nigeria. Bichi and the DSS are amongst them.”
For the records, Ude lives outside Nigeria from where he has been posting his often unsubstantiated reports on sundry issues that affect the country.
His recent obsession with the DSS and its Boss is seen by many as “not ordinary.”
