THE Department of State Services has described as fake, the allegation that a Northern Governor is the Commander of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, made by the Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the 2019 election, Obadiah Mailafia.
The DSS said it was disappointed that the former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria could choose to cross the line of decorum expected of a person of his status, especially in view of the fact that he had unhindered access to information.
It also declared that it was even more condemnable that Mailafia, who had apologised profusely for his actions at the DSS office, could grant an interview afterwards, saying he stood by his “misguided eruption.”
The Service spoke through a statement on Friday, signed by its Spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, obtained by The Point.
The statement said, “Mailafia, as a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and currently, a Directing Staff at Nigeria’s foremost Policy Research Institute, the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, has unhindered access to government platforms. It is expected that he should be conversant with official information management protocols.
“But regrettably, he chose to cross the lines of decorum and conduct expected of a personality of his status. It is disappointing that he never took advantage of these to reach any of the security or related agencies to share the so called information at his disposal. This, he has agreed to be a grievous error on his part. It, however, suggests his mischief and determination to use the fake news he spewed to incite the people under his control.”
The DSS said it was even more condemnable that Mailafia, who had profusely apologised during his visit to the Service’s Plateau State Command for his ignoble statement, would, afterwards, announce to the world that he stood by “his misguided eruption.”
It stated, “Similarly, the Service also wishes to warn others, who in the guise of political mobilisation and supposed pursuit of group interests, engage in hostile and subversive activities, to desist forthwith from advancing their inimical and parochial causes.
“The Service will not stand idly and watch disgruntled and aggrieved elements take laws into their hands and cause mayhem in the polity.”
The DSS, in line with its mandate of detecting and preventing threats and crimes against the internal security of Nigeria, reiterated its previous warning that it would henceforth not condone unruly conducts of persons and groups that ought to know better.
It said, “In this regard, it will not hesitate to, within the confines of the law, decisively deal with such persons and/or groups, no matter how highly placed, that may wish to test its resolve. It will, nonetheless, continue to support participatory democracy in the country and therefore urges all players to abide by the rules of the game.
“On the other hand, the Service implores law abiding citizens to go about their normal businesses without fear. It assures them of protection and pledges to strengthen existing measures designed to achieve this objective.”
