The Centre for Public Integrity (CPI) has strongly condemned the continuous attacks on the Department of State Services (DSS) by activist Omoyele Sowore, describing his criticisms as hypocritical and detached from the current realities of the reformed security agency.
In a statement signed by Comrade Job Samuel Danfulani, the Centre noted that Sowore, who currently enjoys his full fundamental human rights under the present leadership of the DSS, has chosen to repay the agency’s professionalism with blackmail and insults.
The statement recalled the ordeal Sowore faced under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, when he was arrested on August 3, 2019, for organizing the #RevolutionNow protests. Despite meeting bail conditions, his release was delayed for over four months, culminating in a dramatic rearrest inside an Abuja courtroom and years of severe movement restrictions. The CPI questioned whether Sowore could truly compare the DSS that recently charged him to court with the DSS that detained him for four months despite a court-granted bail. It described his hypocrisy as being “of the highest order” and claimed his arrogance prevents him from acknowledging glaring improvements.
“It is highly ironic that Sowore, who was once subjected to prolonged detention and restricted movement, now moves freely from one event to another and from hotel to hotel, fully enjoying the democratic space and the reformed nature of the DSS under the leadership of Director-General Oluwatosin Ajayi,” Comrade Danfulani stated.
“Rather than acknowledging the positive transformation and professionalism of the DSS—which has been attested to by judicial stakeholders and observers alike—Sowore has chosen to condemn the very agency that has worked tirelessly to sustain Nigeria’s democracy as one of the most formidable institutions in Africa.”
The Centre further alleged that Sowore’s persistent attacks on state institutions align with the interests of foreign groups aimed at destabilizing the country.
“We cannot keep quiet when critical government institutions are intentionally blackmailed to satisfy the ego of one man. It is well known that Sowore’s actions align with the agenda of foreign organizations whose target is the destabilization of Nigeria,” the statement added.
Comrade Danfulani also slammed Sowore’s derogatory remarks against security operatives, calling them unacceptable.
“The attitude of calling our uniformed men—who daily sacrifice their lives for our peaceful existence—‘stupid’ and ‘criminal’ is totally unacceptable. The idea that Sowore is the only credible person in Nigeria speaks volumes about the limitations of his reasoning,” the statement noted.
The CPI alleged that Sowore’s presidential ambition is intended to create national distraction. It claimed he has been unable to gather momentum and has attacked Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar without justification. “Every other person is a criminal in Nigeria except Sowore,” the group alleged.
The CSO also drew attention to what it described as a concentration of roles within Sowore’s party, alleging that he serves as National Chairman, National Youth Leader, National Women Leader, National Organizing Secretary, and National Publicity Secretary of his own party while still contesting the presidency. The CPI characterized the African Action Congress (AAC) as a personal vehicle for Sowore and his international partners, calling on Nigerians not to take him seriously.
Reacting to Sowore’s complaints about the conditions of his detention, including claims of being kept in cells with tuberculosis patients, the CPI questioned the activist’s expectations of a detention facility.
“Kuje Prison is not a hotel,” Danfulani said. “What exactly was he expecting? Did he expect to be lodged at the Transcorp Hilton or the Abuja Continental Hotel? Or did he expect to be pampered like a baby in custody? A correctional facility is for detention, not luxury.”
The Centre for Public Integrity urged Nigerians to reject attempts to demoralize security agencies and instead support the DSS, military, police, and others as they continue to carry out their constitutional mandates of safeguarding national security under new leadership.
