By, Dr. Charles Omole

The activities of the State Security Service (SSS) is now a daily news headline in Nigeria. This is a shame because a security outfit, setup to be most discreet is now itself in the news every week.

This fact already goes to show the SSS is no longer fit for purpose as presently constituted. I will like to give some background information to contextualise my thesis.

This thread is not just about PMB as the excesses of the SSS predated the PMB administration.

Although the style and body language of a President can shape the attitude of the SSS as history has shown. This thread is also not about SSS-Bashing per se; but a critical examination of how its current setup promotes abuse, lack of accountability and potential lawlessness.

IT’S ORIGIN
The Nigeria police had an Intelligence wing named the Special Branch. Prior to the 1976 coup, internal security and intelligence was handled by the police Special Branch, a Secret Police, while external intelligence was conducted by the Research Department (RD), a unit of the External Affairs ministry. The Special Branch was the intelligence brain-box of the NPF. First after its failure to intercept any information about the coup against Gowon the military head of state was losing confidence in the Special Branch and the RD.

But after d coup that killed Murtala (few months later); d Junta no longer trusted d Military intelligence operations, Special Branch or RD; so they decided to create a new Civilian Intelligence outfit exclusively reporting to Head of State. MD Yussuf d IGP looked on helplessly.

So; the Special Branch was carved out of the Police and formed into a new outfit under the direct control of the Head of State. This new outfit was named the Nigerian Security Organization (NSO). The NSO was created by Decree number 27 of 1976 by the military regime of Gen. Obasanjo, after the failed Dimka coup which claimed the life of Gen. Murtala Mohammed. The NSO was given a mandate of co-ordinating Internal Security, Foreign Intelligence and counterintelligence activities. It was charged with the detection and prevention of any crime against the security of the state, with the protection of classified materials, and with carrying out any other security missions assigned by the president. The main focus of the NSO was Regime Preservation. At inception; the NSO, was staffed by a mix of military intelligence officers, some fresh recruits, officers of the RD and former police Special Branch officers.

During the time of the military regime, and continuing through the Second Republic, the NSO was accused of carrying out systematic and widespread human rights abuses, especially of those seen to be critical of the government. So the abuses are not new.

In June 1986, IBB issued Decree Number 19, dissolving the NSO and re-structuring Nigeria’s security services into THREE separate entities.

The State Security Service (SSS) was made responsible for domestic intelligence, with Director General Ismaila Gwarzo. The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) handled external intelligence and counterintelligence. The Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) was responsible for military-related intelligence outside & inside Nigeria. So SSS became d primary domestic intelligence agency of Nigeria. It’s primarily responsible for intelligence gathering within d country & for d protection of senior govt officials, particularly d President & governors

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/11/16/the-sss-and-law-enforcement-in-nigeria-its-origin-excesses-and-solution/