Abimbola, I have read your piece, titled, WHAT DOES THE DSS REALLY REALLY DO?, published on the back page of 2nd September, 2021 edition of the Punch Newspaper. By my nature, I do not like joining issues and I know the Department of State Services that I represent and speak for does not like same. The reason is not farfetched. For me, I believe that people who have made up their minds about certain issues will hardly see the other side of the matter even in the face of glaring facts. While you may hold tenaciously to your opinions as duly expressed in the said article, I will educate you and many others who do not understand or appreciate what the DSS does.

The Federal government has accused Amnesty International of siding with those that violently oppose the Federal Government of Nigeria. In a statement on Wednesday by Garba Shehu, the spokesperson to President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidency accused Amnesty International of defending terrorists who ‘has no legal right to exist in Nigeria.’ This was in reaction to the latest report by the NGO asking the Nigerian government to end enforced disappearance in the country. Mr. Shehu said the Nigerian government will fight terrorism with all the means at its disposal because Amnesty’s ranting will be ignored. Especially when it comes from an organization that does not hold itself to the same standards it demands of others.

Vice-President of Nigeria Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has said Nigerian leaders must be ready to risk their popularity in order to promote peace in the country. The Vice-President disclosed this on Monday while receiving a delegation of the Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC). According to Osinbajo, leaders must understand the value of respectful non-violent communication in ensuring that conflicts do not degenerate into violence. The Vice-President advised leaders to emulate Mandela and Abdullahi Abubakar, a cleric who saved over 200 Christians during a religious crisis in Plateau state in 2018, in using their positions to address ethno-religious crises in the country. “Those sacrifices, even in what you say, how you say it, and then sacrifices also in the acknowledgment of whatever people are saying and the willingness to accept.