As many individuals and groups insist on the resignation of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, over his pro-Taliban links, the Department of State Services has disowned the view expressed by its former Director, Denise Amachree, on the intelligence the secret police reportedly handed the Buhari administration.
Amachree, a former Assistant Director with the DSS had claimed that the secret police informed the Federal Government and the National Assembly of the past radical pro-Taliban views of Pantami before his confirmation as minister in 2019
Amachree also said the minister should resign as it was difficult to deradicalise someone of his kind.
He said DSS had information on all individuals of interest, adding that the minister’s past extremist views were communicated to the Federal Government and the legislature.
“There is no information that escapes the DSS. We have all of it, all. When I was working there, we keep a catalogue of anybody of interest that comes up to limelight in this country,” Amachree said.
“During the vetting process for anybody to be appointed a minister or commissioner or anything, your name is sent to the DSS for vetting. They check your background up to the extent of your grandmother.
‘’They check your schools up to the extent of your primary school. And of course, they keep a tab on you online and offline. We get a lot from open source intelligence and I can tell you that in Pantami’s case, we have it.”
But the DSS on Thursday distanced itself from the views expressed by the former director, claiming his views were personal opinions and did not represent those of the agency.
The Spokesman for the DSS, Dr. Peter Afunanya, who issued the disclaimer, said Amachree spoke for himself and not the DSS.
Afunanta said: “The opinions expressed by Mr Dennis Amachree on sundry national security issues are his personal positions and do not in anyway represent the stand of the Service (the Department of State Services)”.
There have been growing pressures on Pantami to resign over his pro-Taliban views but the Federal Government is yet to react to the public opinion on the minister, who has revolutionised the communications industry and earned some applause in the process.
