DSS informed FG of Pantami’s extremist views before ministerial appointment, says ex-director, Amachree

Former Assistant Director with the Department of State Services, Dennis Amachree, has said the secret police informed the Federal Government and the National Assembly of the past radical pro-Taliban views of embattled Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami before his confirmation as minister in 2019.

This came as the Federal Executive Council, FEC, said the alleged link of the minister with Al-Qaeda and Taliban some years ago was not discussed at its meeting yesterday.

These came on a day the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, at plenary, moved for the immediate resignation or sack of the minister for showing sympathy to the deadly activities of insurgents.

Amachree, who spoke while featuring on PUNCH Online interview programme, The Roundtable, yesterday, however, said the minister must have been confirmed by the National Assembly due to a lot of factors, including federal character balancing.

Pantami, a former director-general with the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, is the only member of the Federal Executive Council from Gombe State.

Amachree also said the minister should resign as it was difficult to deradicalise someone of his kind.

He said DSS had information on all individuals of interest, adding that the minister’s past extremist views were communicated to the Federal Government and the legislature.

He said: “There is no information that escapes the DSS. We have all of it, all. When I was working there, we keep a catalogue of anybody of interest that comes up to limelight in this country.

“During the vetting process for anybody to be appointed a minister or commissioner or anything, your name is sent to the DSS for vetting. They check your background up to the extent of your grandmother.

‘’They check your schools up to the extent of your primary school. And of course, they keep a tab on you online and offline. We get a lot from open source intelligence and I can tell you that in Pantami’s case, we have it.

“But there is a political angle to it. When somebody is being appointed, if the security agencies see that there is something wrong with his name, they will send it to the appointing agency.

‘’The appointing agency will now decide amongst other variables either religious variable, federal character balancing variable, or political variable and say that, ‘Oh, yes, we know that this guy has this and that but let’s appoint him.

“So, the political decision is not taken by the SSS. Even when you go to the Senate for confirmation, there is party by party and you can see that there are some political candidates that the opposition party will say that this one will not be appointed but because he belongs to that party, they will appoint him.

‘’So, these are political and federal balancing where they will say that there is nobody from this place that has been appointed, so let’s appoint him.”

The ex-DSS director, who disclosed that the United States was gathering information on the communications minister, said: “He (Pantami) has just submitted his name into US database. The cataloguing of people is not automatic, it comes in drips and drops.

‘’Now, people are talking about him and that has come to the attention of the United States Embassy in Nigeria already. Now, they will do a deeper dive into his background. They will catalogue him and now they will start watching him and if it comes to a very critical level, they will place him on a no-fly zone.”

Also yesterday the Federal Executive Council, FEC, said the minister’s alleged link with Al-Qaeda and Taliban some years ago was not discussed at its meeting.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who briefed State House correspondents at the end of the council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the issue was not raised at the meeting.

Pantami was not physically present at the meeting but attended virtually from his office.

Fielding questions on whether the council discussed the matter and government was comfortable with its burden on its image, Alhaji Mohammed said: “I’m not going to go into the issue of whether government is comfortable or not. I will answer your question directly. It was not discussed at the council meeting.”

Pantami, who had been embroiled in controversies over his previous comments endorsing both terrorists organizations has, however, announced that he had renounced the views.

He said during his daily Ramadan lecture at Annor Mosque in Abuja last Saturday that he now knew better about some of the comments he made in the past.

Pantami had posited that the campaign against him was politically motivated, saying “for 15 years, I have moved round the country while educating people about the dangers of terrorism.

‘’I have traveled to Katsina, Gombe, Borno, Kano states and Difa in Niger Republic to preach against terrorism.

“I have engaged those with Boko Haram ideologies in different places. I have been writing pamphlets in Hausa, English and Arabic. I have managed to bring back several young persons who have derailed from the right path.

“Some of the comments I made some years ago that are generating controversies now were based on my understanding of religious issues at the time, and I have changed several positions taken in the past, based on new evidence and maturity.

“I was young when I made some of the comments; I was in university, some of the comments were made when I was a teenager.

“I started preaching when I was 13, many scholars and individuals did not understand some of international events and, therefore, took some positions based on their understanding, some have come to change their positions later.”

Meanwhile, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, yesterday called for the immediate resignation or sack of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami for showing sympathy to the deadly activities of insurgents.

Relying under matters of privilege, Elumelu asked the House to cause a debate on the issue, particularly demanding Pantami’s exit from office.

Elumelu said that Pantami’s apology didn’t hold water, stressing that even the minister had apologized for his previous links with terrorists.

He said: “Mr Speaker, my privilege borders on one of the serving ministers called Sheikh Ali Isa Ibrahim Pantami. He is the Minister for Communication and Digital Economy of the federal republic. And the portfolio that he currently occupies gives him the free latitude to administer, coordinate and manage flow of sensitive information within and outside the shores of Nigeria.

“Mr. Speaker, there have been insinuations that he has direct links and personally subscribes to the extreme Islamic beliefs of Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Boko Haram sects. Evidence compelling the cyber space lays strong credence to a relationship and existing mutual collaboration between him and the deceased Yemen terrorist.

‘’Recently, Mr speaker, while the minister was answering questions during his daily Ramandan lecture a few days ago, he owned up that he took extreme positions in support of the brutal exploits of Al-Queda and Taliban out of ignorance, claiming that he was young when he did that but now he is matured.

“Mr Speaker, I feel it will be out of place for me to sit here and allow this chamber not to speak about it and totally call for his resignation or suspension.”

Ruling on the matter, the speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, who presided over plenary, faulted Elumelu for raising a point of privilege without showing how his privileges were breached.

This however, came when many members had indicated interests to speak on the matter.

Usually, such issues are presented as a formal motion to be debated but Elumelu came under point of personal privilege, prompting a technicality to it.

“I think you came under the wrong order. But your point of order is well noted. As you know, we don’t debate such issues, if it comes under privilege. Thank you,” Gbajabiamila said.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/04/dss-informed-fg-of-pantamis-extremist-views-before-ministerial-appointment-says-ex-director-amachree/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Okoo

Hnnm

I feel this man should resign.

"Religious variable" lool. Well, you shouldn't expect an extremist government to follow the DSS's recommendation. Which father would deny his own son such opportunity? Pantami is just a typical example of the failed Nigerian system where religious affiliations supersede values, integrity and intellect...

cant believe this pantami is yet to be arrested by the same govt. that declared ipob a terrorist group.

This is the country you want us to remain part of it, God forbid,

Dss = Muslims

President= Muslim

FG= Muslims

All Muslims have the Same mindset , only looking for opportunities .


That demon they worship is wicked!.



Imagine a world without Islam, would be so Peaceful

MUYEEKFIRST:
Not all Muslims are terrorist and our God is not wicked . Someone like you are the major problem of the world. I pray you see the truth one day

Stop deceiving yourself ur religion has nothing to do with God who made heaven and Earth. You re worshipping demons .

All Terrorists gets the inspiration to kill From Koran . Demonic book that teaches Peoples how to hate and kill and they call it Holy book


Spit!,burn those demonic books!

hansomb:
This is hate speech and blasphemy. Do we even have a moderator on this trend Or the moderator agrees with such an evil hatred view of one's believe. This forum is becoming a hate speech ground. You will never see a Muslim saying a bad thing concerning other religion because we believe in respect for one another but the same cannot be said of the other side, and funny part is that it's always online and not in offline. You are a coward.

When you say the truth, they call it hate speech, you don't say bad thing about other religion but kill them right?

What other proof does anyone need to know dat d govt is in on all the chaos.. It was their plan all along... They had prepared for a fight if they had lost d 2019 election and what we are seeing today are the foot soldiers they prepped for dat fight.. Sacking dis man isn't solving anything, they'll jus fix him in anoda govt department or agency and then continue their routine

Simply clueless

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the country does not have a government and has been on a free fall the last 6years

First, you claim, it was not about his religion, now we can now see the big picture.

It is all about religion.

Christians and pdp, keep forging and bringing up documents to paint Dr.isa PATAMI black.

How come, it is only pdp calling for his sack??

Who is Dennis Amachree? An anti government person, retired in 1999, who have a life career, abusing the buhari government, imagine, an sss former official living in the United states, this shows he is a betrayal.

When an extremist is the boss, won't he seek for his kind around him.

If you go back and watch Buhari's comments after he lost previous elections it's obvious that he shares similar sentiments with Pantami and no matter what the DSS presents to him he wouldn't have dropped his nomination.
Buhari had asked Muslims not to vote for non Muslims and it's there on record, if not for Tinubu (against his own conviction having called Buhari an extremist at one time) and Obama repackaging Buhari and downplaying his extremism he wouldn't have won the election under CPC.
Buharis mass appeal among the downtrodden northerners is because he is viewed first as a 'defender' of Islam and not because of his leadership qualities.
The reputation Buhari built in 1983 was Tunde Idiagbons ideas and actions, ask elders around you if I am wrong.

The usual defence of those who hold extremist religious views is to tell you how their cook and driver is a Christian or Muslim

Paddy paddy govt...wetin concern them about view

Amachree also said the minister should resign as it was difficult to deradicalise someone of his kind.

This government has hidden agenda.

Nepotism of course.

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M

Toolbox.
If you know, you know.

and the exposure continues

Based on religious variable, federal character balancing variable and political party variable , a known Taliban and Al-qaeda supporter was appointed minister in the federal republic of Nigeria. wow! ,just wow!!!.



Isa patani also said he was young when he made those comments and now knows better, but knowing taqqiya and how these people operate, I will take the words of this under cover terrorist with a pinch of salt.


He was even roughly 29 years old at the time,like seriously? what do these people take us for?

Shabaleen:
cant believe this pantami is yet to be arrested by the same govt. that declared ipob a terrorist group.

Their definition reflects their point of view.

A sane individual would have long resign is a more reasonable country. But not Nigeria. Resignation is an alien concept here.

thebosstrevor1:
First, you claim, it was not about his religion, now we can now see the big picture.

It is all about religion.

Christians and pdp, keep forging and bringing up documents to paint Dr.isa PATAMI black.

How come, it is only pdp calling for his sack??

.

The people not calling for his sack are fellow demonic and evil minded comrades

Boko Haram keep telling us that the have there members all over everywhere in government.
This one have proof them right.
and How do you expect Nigerians to trust pantami with there private datas?

you expect someone the terrorist himself appoint to resign, Buhari said attack on Boko Haram is attack on the north still you guys voted and elect him and still want him to sack one of his boys? what a joke... God bless Mazi Nnamdi Kanu

Okay

Nawa

thebosstrevor1:
First, you claim, it was not about his religion, now we can now see the big picture.

It is all about religion.

Christians and pdp, keep forging and bringing up documents to paint Dr.isa PATAMI black.

How come, it is only pdp calling for his sack??

Have you asked yourself?
Is he the only Muslim minister?
Are they not other Muslims holding ministerial positions?

In sane country, Pantami Pandemic

Would have be behind bar in a maximum security detention center !