In Nigeria’s complex and often turbulent national security horizon, the Department of State Services (DSS) has long been perceived with a mixture of awe, fear, and suspicion.
For decades, the agency carried the image of a shadowy and powerful institution one that operated with vast discretion and, at times, appeared to hover at the fringes of the very laws it was established to defend.
Today, however, a noticeable and commendable shift is underway.
Under the strategic leadership of Director-General Tosin Ajayi, the DSS is undergoing a recalibration toward professionalism, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
This transformation is not a mere administrative refinement; it is a fundamental requirement for stabilising Nigeria’s fragile national fabric.
The core mandate of the DSS is the preservation of internal security.
Yet no security institution can sustainably guarantee stability if its methods erode public trust or undermine justice.
Encouragingly, the current leadership has initiated a deliberate institutional pivot one that emphasises discipline within the ranks and strict compliance with constitutional and legal standards.
This renewed direction is evident in enhanced training programmes that prioritise constitutional rights, due process, and ethical intelligence gathering. Officers are increasingly reminded that they are servants of the law, not arbiters above it.
Such reorientation is critical in reshaping institutional culture and restoring public confidence.
Perhaps the most courageous aspect of this reform is the review of cases involving wrongful detention.
The decision to pardon individuals unjustly held and, more significantly, to compensate them marks a watershed in Nigeria’s security history.
This step achieves several vital outcomes: it delivers long-overdue justice to victims and their families; it publicly acknowledges institutional fallibility, thereby humanising an agency once viewed as impenetrable; and it establishes a powerful internal deterrent against impunity.
When officers understand that operational excesses or malicious arrests can trigger investigations with financial and reputational consequences for the Service, accountability ceases to be abstract. It becomes real, enforceable, and consequential.
Yet, an ethical and disciplined DSS must also be an effective one.
Nigeria is engaged in an asymmetric struggle against terrorism, banditry, secessionist agitations, and communal violence.
This is not a conventional war with defined frontlines; it is a battle waged in the shadows across communities, networks, and minds.
In this context, the DSS’s role in precise, proactive intelligence gathering is indispensable.
Leveraging technology alongside sophisticated human intelligence networks enables the Service to identify and neutralise threats before they metastasise into mass violence.
Quietly and consistently, accurate intelligence prevents attacks that would otherwise inflame ethnic and religious tensions.
In this way, the DSS functions as a silent but critical architect of national cohesion.
However, intelligence effectiveness is fundamentally limited without one indispensable ingredient: synergy.
No single agency no matter how reformed or sophisticated can single-handedly manage Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
The mosaic of threats confronting the nation demands a mosaic of responses.
The DSS may intercept sensitive communications; the Military may possess terrain dominance; the Police understand local dynamics; and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) brings foreign intelligence insights. When these pieces are held in isolation, the result is fragmentation and fragmentation creates gaps.
It is through such gaps that terrorists slip, bandits exploit, and national security is compromised.
This is why the present leadership’s emphasis on inter-agency collaboration is not a policy preference but a strategic imperative. Real-time, credible information sharing is the force multiplier that converts isolated data into actionable intelligence.
Rivalry and territorialism among security agencies are luxuries Nigeria can no longer afford.
The nation must move decisively from a culture of institutional hoarding to one of patriotic cooperation. Formal, depoliticised frameworks for collaboration backed by clear mandates from the highest levels of government are non-negotiable if Nigeria is to prevail against its security challenges.
In conclusion, the path being charted by Tosin Ajayi at the DSS is not only commendable; it is necessary.
It recognises a fundamental truth: enduring security and national unity are built not on fear, but on justice, professionalism, and accountability.
By enforcing discipline, upholding the rule of law, investing in precise intelligence, and championing inter-agency synergy, the DSS is steadily transforming from a perceived instrument of oppression into a pillar of democratic stability.
For the sake of Nigeria’s unity and future, this reform must be deepened, supported, and replicated across all security institutions.
The sentinel is reforming. It is in our collective national interest to ensure that it succeeds.
Comrade Usman Austin Okai, CCA, is a pro-democracy activist and public affairs analyst.
