The Department of State Services (DSS) has ordered an investigation into an allegation by former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, that the agency was planning to organise protests in Sokoto State.
The Director-General of the Service, Oluwatosin Ajayi, issued the directive even as the agency described the claim as inconsistent with its operations to protect political actors across party lines.
According to multiple reports, Atiku made the allegation on Tuesday while responding to questions from journalists in Abuja. He accused the leadership of the DSS of recruiting protesters to create disorder in Sokoto and provide a pretext for imposing a curfew to stop the party’s campaign rally.
The Service’s Response
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Deputy Director, Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Favour Dozie, the DSS said its operatives rescued the ADC governorship candidate in Sokoto State, Mannir Daniya, during an attack on October 31, 2026.
The Service explained that its operatives deployed to protect Daniya evacuated him to safety during the incident, while two DSS personnel were assaulted and were still receiving treatment in hospital as of Tuesday.
The agency added that Daniya personally contacted the State Director of the DSS in Sokoto to express appreciation and requested additional security reinforcement.
The development followed earlier reports that the All Progressives Congress and the ADC in Sokoto State traded accusations on Saturday over an alleged attack on the convoy of the ADC governorship candidate, Daniya.
Precedents of Protection Across Party Lines
The DSS also cited its arrest and prosecution of a man, Monday Udeme Steven, in Rivers State on March 2, 2026, over an alleged threat to attack the presidential candidate of the New Democratic Congress, Peter Obi.
According to the Service, Steven was prosecuted at a Federal High Court in Rivers State and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.
The agency said these operations demonstrated its commitment to protecting political actors irrespective of their party affiliations, but acknowledged that Atiku’s allegation had prompted the Director-General to order an investigation.
The statement noted that although the operations to protect all political parties were at variance with the elder statesman’s allegation and tended to demoralise gallant operatives risking their lives in the line of duty, the Director-General still ordered an investigation into the allegation in deference to the elder statesman.
Similar Allegation by Sowore
The DSS also referred to a similar allegation by the African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who accused the agency of involvement in an attack on him in Ekiti State.
It said it welcomed the police investigation into the incident, which, according to the DSS, produced a preliminary report identifying an altercation as the cause and led to the arrest of 11 suspects.
The Service said it was awaiting the outcome of the police investigation and would not expend further energy on the matter.
The statement concluded that the Service would continue to remain accountable under the present Director-General.
Key Takeaways
The controversy centres on competing accounts of the same period. Atiku alleges that the DSS is recruiting protesters to create disorder in Sokoto and engineer a curfew that would prevent the ADC campaign rally from holding. The DSS, for its part, maintains that its record shows consistent protection of political actors across party lines, pointing to its rescue of the ADC governorship candidate in Sokoto and its prosecution of a suspect over an alleged threat to a rival presidential candidate.
The Director-General’s decision to order an investigation, despite the Service’s insistence that the allegation is inconsistent with its operations, signals an effort to address the claim through established channels rather than dismiss it outright. The outcome of that probe, and the police investigation into the Ekiti incident, will be closely watched as the political season intensifies.
