Dennis Amachree, a retired assistant director of the Department of State Services (DSS), says the appointment of Isa Pantami as minister of communications and digital economy by former President Muhammadu Buhari raised national security concerns and exposed weaknesses in Nigeria’s security vetting process.
Amachree made the assertion in ‘DSS @40: My Journey Behind
the Shield’, a memoir chronicling his four decades in Nigeria’s intelligence
service.
The retired DSS officer revisited the controversy that
erupted in 2021 after old sermons and public statements in which Pantami
allegedly expressed support for extremist groups, including al-Qaeda, the
Taliban and Boko Haram, resurfaced online.
Amachree said the controversy raised questions about how
someone entrusted with Nigeria’s telecommunications and digital infrastructure
passed through the country’s security vetting process.
He noted that the DSS carries out extensive background
checks on nominees for sensitive public offices by examining their past
affiliations, public speeches, academic records, political leanings,
associations and online activities before forwarding intelligence reports to
the president and, where necessary, the national assembly.
The retired intelligence officer noted, however, that the
agency only provides advice.
Amachree said although he could not confirm the contents of
Pantami’s security report, it was difficult to believe that his past public
statements would have escaped the attention of intelligence officers conducting
background checks.
“In Pantami’s case, it is my belief that the DSS report
likely contained references to his earlier extremist sympathies,” he said.
“However, when political imperatives such as federal
character balancing, internal party politics, or strategic regional
representation enter the equation, security advice can be sidelined.”
Amachree also revisited Pantami’s confirmation by the
senate, recalling that Ajibola Basiru, then chairman of the senate committee on
media and public affairs, said lawmakers did not receive any adverse security
report on the minister before approving his nomination.
The retired DSS officer said the episode highlighted what he
described as “the politicization of intelligence”.
“There are two plausible interpretations here: either the
DSS report was sanitized before reaching the Senate, or it was submitted with
adverse findings that were simply disregarded due to political considerations,”
he said.
“Both scenarios reflect systemic weaknesses in Nigeria’s
national security framework, either in the flow of intelligence or in the
institutional request for security recommendations.”
Amachree noted that the controversy undermined public
confidence in Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts because the government was
simultaneously prosecuting insurgents while defending the appointment of an
official whose previous statements had attracted widespread scrutiny.
He added that the situation was particularly significant
because Pantami supervised a ministry responsible for critical
telecommunications and digital infrastructure.
“The controversy exposed deep contradictions in Nigeria’s
counterterrorism strategy,” he said.
“While the country has expended billions of naira combating
Boko Haram, ISWAP and other extremist groups, it simultaneously appointed a
minister with a documented history of expressing extremist views.”
Amachree said the Pantami episode should serve as “a
cautionary tale” for future administrations.
“It highlights the urgent need to strengthen institutional
respect for intelligence assessments,” he added.
He said strengthening respect for intelligence assessments
and insulating security decisions from political interference would improve
public confidence in the country’s national security institutions.
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