Is the DSS an affiliate of Gistlover blog? By Esosa Osa

*Nigeria’s Department of State Services is an intelligence agency, not a gossip blog, but a security organisation established to identify a threat and take care of it ethically

Esosa Osa

On a very sunny Wednesday afternoon, the Department of State Services (DSS) issued a statement confirming a plot by some unpatriotic elements to form an interim government by May 29, 2023.

Part of the statement read, “The Department of State Services (DSS) has identified some key players in the plot for an Interim Government in Nigeria.

“The Service considers the plot, being pursued by these entrenched interests, as not only an aberration but a mischievous way to set aside the Constitution and undermine civil rule as well as plunge the country into an avoidable crisis.”

A simple Google search describes the DSS as the leading domestic intelligence agency in Nigeria, charged with the internal security.

However, can that press statement by the DSS be described as an intelligent move?

A Secret Services organisation identified a plot for an interim government, then it went ahead to tell the world. Is such a tactic not more  helpful to the plotters?

When the United States (US) intelligence agencies spent years tracking down Osama Bin Laden, were they updating us on Twitter and other social media platforms?

The DSS is so interested in informing the public of its “not so secret” investigation.

I would suggest they make reels. GRWM to identify plotters or a day in the life of a DSS official. Maybe even a podcast. Whatever works for them.

The DSS is an intelligence agency, not a gossip blog! It is established to identify a threat and take care of it ethically.

Fast forward to Abba Bichi. Abba Bichi, 19, is the son of Yusuf Bichi, the Director-General of the DSS.

A few days ago, his picture that of his brother, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President-elect as announced Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was trending.

At first I thought it was fake or something, because I had heard stories about how the families of top security officials in developed countries live a very private life for security purposes, and understandably so.

But to my surprise, Abba  actually posted the picture, with the caption “President-elect, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. President sir”.

A simple scroll through his verified Twitter account showed his immense support for Tinubu throughout the campaign, and even a previous meeting.

Another interesting post featured a collage of pictures of himself and Seyi Tinubu, the son of Bola Tinubu.  He captioned it: “Unstoppable duo stop if you can”.

He described himself as a “Nigeria International Footballer” on his Twitter bio.

He became an international footballer in 2019 after a late and controversial inclusion to the U-17 World Cup squad in Brazil, where he was an unused substitute  throughout the tournament.

A report by Sahara Reporters about his inclusion was titled: “How NFF Smuggled DSS Director-General’s Son, Abba Bichi, Into U-17 World Cup Team”. Read that story at your leisure.

There are no records of his signing for any club both in Nigeria and abroad.

But Abba lives better and more flamboyantly than some top English Premier League Footballers.

He goes to stadiums in convoys and Police escort.

He boasts of car collections or a “toy world”, as he likes to call it.

The car collections are worth hundreds of millions of Naira.

However, his father, Yusuf Bichi, was not a multi-billionaire prior to his appointment as the Director-General of the DSS.

How does Abba afford this Mbappe-esque lifestyle? Truly, if you ask me, na who I go ask?

*Esosa Osa, a graduate of Mass Communication, lives in Abuja, FCT.