By Louis Achi
According to UK’s iconic, dashing spy movie top operative Roger Moore (James Bond), “You can’t be a real spy and have everybody in the world know who you are and what your drink is.” A secret service operative is supposed to keep his identity secret from everyone including family/friends, for the mission to succeed. He or she cannot let anyone know that he/she is a spy or is undercover.
Significant gaps in operational alignment with this critical dimension by Nigeria’s intelligence community has cost many lives, limbs and needlessly undermined many intel-led operations. Even the military has been not been spared from this quirky blight. But Mr. President would have none of that any longer.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must be credited with accurately reading the handwriting on the wall in the unsettling security situation in the country. Unquestionably deriving from the intensity, sweep and scope of security crises festering in the country, he ordered a security architecture tweak of the intelligence community on August 26, 2024.
This significant, audacious shakeup witnessed the appointments of Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi and Mohammed Mohammed as the Directors-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and National Intelligence Agency (NIA), respectively. The new DGs replaced the duo of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2018 appointees – Yusuf Bichi (DSS) and Ahmed Rufai Abubakar (DIA).
Perhaps, not surprisingly, on assuming office as DGSS on August 28, 2024, Ajayi delivered a subtle, cadenced message to the agency he has impactfully served for over 30 years. He pledged to “refocus the service towards covertness and likelihood of studied silence over certain matters.”
The DSS is Nigeria’s primary domestic intelligence agency, which plays a critical role in national security and intelligence gathering. Its main responsibilities are within Nigeria and include counter-intelligence, medical intelligence, economic intelligence, internal security, counter-terrorism, and surveillance as well as investigating some other types of serious crimes against the state.
It is also charged with the protection of senior government officials, particularly the president, vice president, state governors and visiting heads of state and governments with their respective families.
Cut to the bone, the unassuming Ajayi had simply told his workers that he is returning the agency to the stealth mode of operations, the fundamental bedrock of secret policing. In effect, Ajayi is expected to introduce fresh perspectives and strategies, particularly in enhancing internal security and addressing both current and emerging threats.
Wait for it: he has hit the ground sprinting, bringing his over three decades of experience in intelligence gathering and security management to his new role.
The emerging consensus is that the appointment of Ajayi as the DG DSS has marked a quiet but significant turning point in the ongoing fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and secessionist agitations across the country.
Some sources disclosed that, from his assumption of office to date, Ajayi has quietly implemented a robust strategy that combines intelligence-led operations, community engagement, and enhanced synergy with sister agencies. This has led to the arrest of about 76 key commanders of banditry/kidnapping and gunrunning syndicates, as well as recovery of arms and ammunition, and neutralization of some of these terrorist elements.
It was gleaned that in the North West zone, Ajayi initiated a psychological-led operations against bandits and kidnappers which resulted in the neutralization of some notorious banditry kingpins, including Kachalla Lawali Dodo, Kachalla All Dan Oga, Kachalla Black and Kachalla Sani Kwalba.
Another reliable source revealed that, in one of the recent series of coordinated operations by the secret Police in Kaduna State, a notorious arms supplier to bandits and terrorists known as Mallam Rabo Abdulkadir was arrested with 3 AK-47 rifles, 1 AR Galil rifle, 1,621 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm, 222 round of 5.56 x 45mm, 138 rounds of 7.62 x 51mm, 6 AK-47 rifle magazines and 1 AR rifle magazine, among others.
In the North Central Zone, particularly in Kogi State where Ajayi last served before his appointment as DGSS, the camps of some major terrorists’ kingpins, including Kachalla Bala and Kachalla Shuaibu, terrorizing Kogi, Kaduna, Niger, Kwara and Nasarawa States, as well as the FCT, were raided and dismantled, a source further disclosed.
The source added that, during the raid three foot-soldiers of Kachalla Bala were neutralized, while 11 others were captured, alongside the group’s major logistics supplier/informant identified as Baba Gurgu.
It was further gathered that, some kidnap kingpins and gunrunners were also arrested in the FCT, as well as Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau States. They include, Isah Adavuruku, Malik Otaru, Mohammed Usman, Usman Iliya, Lawal Shaibu, Umar Musa Keana, Dauda Gongola Keana and Anas BELLO, who masterminded the recent ambush of soldiers and vigilantes in Kabba/Bunu LGA of Kogi State.
Another source revealed that, in the North East zone, 5 members of a daredevil kidnap syndicate, including Salisu Nasiru, Lamiya Bisala and Manuga Sunday were arrested on 30th August, 2024 in Donga LGA of Taraba State, with 3 AK-47 rifles, 61 rounds of 7.62x39mm (special) ammunition, 2 fabricated AK-47 rifles, 2 single barrel guns and 5 AK-47 magazines, among others.
Likewise, one of the arms dealers supplying weapons to militia in Plateau State known simply as Friday Gomna Isaac was arrested in Borno State, while conveying weapons to Jos, Plateau State.
In the South East Zone, a source disclosed that, a notorious Commander of the outlawed IPOB, Mathias Onyebuchi, who masterminded the attack on a Police checkpoint on the outskirts of Enugu, that claimed the lives of two policemen, while 3 AK-47 rifles were carted away was arrested.
The South-South and South West zones are not left out in these coordinated operations, as two members of a militant and sea piracy syndicate terrorizing Akwa Ibom and its neighbouring states, Daniel Etim David and Uwem Asuquo Edet were arrested. This is in addition to other arrests in Rivers, Lagos and Oyo States, another source disclosed.
The successful arrest and disruption of some of these criminal networks have led to a noticeable decline in banditry and kidnapping incidents in the affected areas. These feats are indications that, the days of other banditry kingpins and terrorist elements such as Muhammadu Bello TURJI, Sani Mainasara (a.k.a Sani Black), Gurgu Dankarami (a.k.a Gwaska), Ado Aleiro, Sani Muhdinge and Yusuf Medele (a.k.a Yusuf Yellow), as well as notorious IPOB commander, Chukwunonso Okafor (a.k.a Temple) are numbered.
It is therefore heartening to note that Mr. President’s strategic reforms within the intelligence community, coupled with the proactive stance taken by the administration in addressing insecurity deserves recognition.
Ajayi rose through the ranks, having joined the DSS in 1990 as a cadet officer, due to his dedication and sharp insight in handling national security matters. The grounds he has covered in his short period as DGSS speaks to considerable preparation and a philosophy synced with his profession.
It’s worth noting that before his appointment, Ajayi held several key positions within the DSS, including the Director of Operations. His leadership has been marked by strategic reforms and efforts to enhance the agency’s effectiveness in addressing contemporary security challenges. He has since climbed the ranks, serving as a state director in Enugu, Rivers, Bauchi, Kogi, and Bayelsa states.
Described by DSS former spokesman as diligent, resilient, sophisticated, proactive, and analytic, Ajayi’s extensive foreign training exposure also remarkably served to hone the innate skills of Ajayi.
He has been instrumental in fostering better cooperation between the DSS and other security agencies, as proven by his stint in other states he has served. He believes inter-agency collaboration is crucial for addressing Nigeria’s complex security landscape.
Ajayi has been committed to strengthening the DSS’s capacity to preempt and counter threats and has been saddled with visionary tasks, including embracing technology – and intelligence-driven strategies to ensure national security and stability. These have reflected in his immediate impact following his appointment by Mr. President.
Interestingly, Ajayi may not be a James Bond, but he certainly cut his professional milk teeth in that nifty cloak-and-dagger career – and meritoriously earned his deliberately understated epaulets.
Today, he has eased DSS into the stealth or covert operations mode and the bad guys are on the backfoot!