Journalist Raises Alarm Over Dismissal of 115 DSS Officers, Warns of Looming National Security Crisis
By Tarakirivoice News Desk
A prominent journalist and publisher, Passman Akpos, has written a strongly worded open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Department of State Services (DSS) leadership, and the Nigerian public, warning that the recent dismissal of 115 DSS officers could have grave implications for national security if not properly managed.
In the open letter titled “An Open Letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the DSS Leadership, and Fellow Nigerians,” Akpos — who describes himself as “The Militant with a Pen” — expressed deep concern over what he called a “potential security time bomb” created by the unstructured dismissal of the secret service personnel.
> “These are not ordinary Nigerians who have just lost their jobs,” Akpos wrote. “These are highly trained secret service operatives — men and women molded in the art of surveillance, counterintelligence, interrogation, weapons handling, and covert operations. They understand the very architecture of our national security from the inside.”
The journalist warned that throwing such trained operatives into society without employment, psychological support, or reintegration programs could have devastating consequences.
> “To now have over a hundred trained intelligence operatives, skilled in stealth and warfare, suddenly unemployed and unmonitored, is to pour fuel on a fire already consuming our nation’s peace,” he cautioned.“Imagine a desperate dismissed operative, with a family to feed, approached by criminal syndicates or terrorist groups offering money and protection. These are not exaggerated fears — they are silent preludes to national disasters.”
Akpos argued that while institutional reforms are necessary, they must be handled with wisdom and foresight. He described the DSS’s approach as “reform without rehabilitation,” which he said could endanger the very citizens the agency is meant to protect.
> “Reform is noble. Accountability is necessary. But reform without rehabilitation is reckless,” he stated. “To dismiss them and merely issue a public statement declaring them ‘no longer part of the service’ is insufficient and dangerous. It is like releasing lions into the streets and telling citizens not to panic.”
The letter also included a direct appeal to President Tinubu to urgently intervene and initiate a national review of the DSS dismissals. Akpos urged the government to consider absorbing the dismissed officers into other security or civil defense agencies, or redirecting their expertise into training institutions.
> “If these officers must indeed leave the DSS, then let their expertise be reabsorbed into other security agencies, state security outfits, or directed toward civil defense and intelligence training institutions. Let their knowledge be redirected, not wasted,” he wrote.
The journalist warned that Nigeria — already grappling with insurgency, kidnapping, cybercrime, and other forms of insecurity — cannot afford to unleash another potential threat born out of “bureaucratic insensitivity.”
> “History will not forgive us if we allow 115 trained DSS operatives to walk into society with bitterness in their hearts, hunger in their stomachs, and intelligence in their hands,” he added.
Concluding his letter, Akpos prayed for divine guidance for Nigeria’s leaders, urging them to act before it is too late.
> “May God guide the leadership of this country with wisdom. May He protect Nigeria from the dangers we do not yet see,” he wrote.
The DSS had earlier announced that the dismissal of 115 officers was part of its internal restructuring efforts aimed at restoring discipline and professionalism within the service. However, the open letter by Akpos has reignited public debate over the security and ethical dimensions of such dismissals in a country already battling multiple threats to its peace and stability.
Source: Tarakirivoice Newspaper EnterpriseAuthor: Passman Akpos (The Militant with a Pen)
