Why Buhari’s Govt Failed To Stop Insecurity – Ex-DSS Director, Amachree

 

Key Takeaways

• A former Assistant Director of the DSS, Dennis Amachree, said late former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration paid little attention to insurgency, banditry and kidnapping threats.
• In his book, “DSS@ 40: My Journey behind the shield”, Amachree blamed top officials’ corruption and ransom payments that he said subsidised terrorism and kidnapping.
• Amachree said bandits like Bello Turji debunked official denials of ransom deals, hurting public trust, while he accused politicians of blocking peace and stability.

A former Assistant Director of the Department of State Security Services, Dennis Amachree, has blamed the administration of late former President Muhammadu Buhari for paying little or no attention to the escalating threats posed by insurgency, banditry and kidnapping in Nigeria.

Naija News reports that Amachree, in his current book: “DSS@ 40: My Journey behind the shield”, listed reasons why insecurity blossomed during Buhari’s government, despite being a former military general.

Amachree blamed the high level of corruption among top government officials and the payment of ransom by senior functionaries to kidnappers, a development he said formally subsidised terrorism and kidnapping in Nigeria.

Beyond the high level of corruption involving top government functionaries, Amachree painted a grim picture of governments secretly paying billions of Naira to bandits in ransoms.

He said, “The period of the Muhammadu Buhari administration is viewed as a critical time when security threats metastasised, and government indifference became palpable.

“Despite being a former military general, the administration was perceived as doing “little or nothing” about the escalating threats of insurgency, banditry and kidnapping. This lack of effective response fueled the perception of a clueless leadership that did not understand or care about democratic governance.

“The president’s comments, such as labelling Nigerian youths “lazy” during international trips, were seen as adding insult to the injury of widespread unemployment. This not only damaged the nation’s reputation but further alienated a massive segment of the population who felt abandoned by the government.

“The subsequent official denials, debunked by bandits such as Bello Turji, destroyed public faith and proved that the state was directly financing the threats it claimed it was fighting.”

He also asserted that politicians under the administration of Buhari were antagonists of peace and stability in the country.

He added, “The true impediment to peace and stability is the political class, which refuses to allow citizens to pursue their daily lives in a stable environment.

“While economic warnings intensified and the security situation deteriorated, politicians displayed a state of reckless abandon, prioritising personal interests over national stability, thus confirming their role as the ultimate threat to social cohesion and security.”