The Department of State Services (DSS) has mandated a probe into claims by former Vise President, Atiku Abubakar, that the Service is plotting protests in Sokoto State.
The Service described the claim as contradictory with its operations, but said the direction was made by its Director-General in respect to Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Channels TV reports.
The DSS stated in a statement yesterday that its officers had been securing political actors across party lines, and mentioned recent interventions involving the ADC governorship candidate in Sokoto State, Mannir Daniya, and the New Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The Service said its operatives tasked to protect Daniya removed him to safety when he was attacked in Sokoto on October 31, 2026.
Two of its personnel were attacked in the incident and were being treated in hospital, it added.
The DSS noted that Daniya personally contacted the State Director of the Sokoto Command to acknowledge the operatives assistance and subsequently requested for further reinforcement from the Service.
The agency also referred to its arrest and prosecution of Monday Udeme Steven in Rivers State on March 2, 2026, for threat to attack Obi.
It added that Steven was tried before a Federal High Court in Rivers State and sentenced to two years imprisonment.
The Service said its actions to protect political actors from different parties were at variance with Atiku’s allegation, adding that such allegations could demoralise agents risking their lives in the line of duty.
The DSS also mentioned a similar claim by the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, who accused the Service of complicity in an attack on him in Ekiti State.
It thanked the police for the rapid investigation that produced a preliminary report attributing the occurrence to an altercation and for the arrest of 11 individuals.
The Service stated it would not be spending efforts on the issue until the police inquiry was concluded.
However, it reiterated its commitment to accountability under the current Director-General.
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