A former director of Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has offered a scathing assessment of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, arguing that insecurity reached unprecedented levels due to weak government response, corruption, and policy failures.
In his newly released book, DSS@40: My Journey Behind the Shield, Amachree said the Buhari administration failed to tackle the growing threats posed by Boko Haram insurgents, armed bandits, and kidnappers, despite the former president’s military background.
According to the former intelligence chief, the government’s inability to respond decisively allowed criminal groups to expand their operations across large parts of the country, leaving millions of Nigerians exposed to violence and fear.
Amachree also accused senior government officials of fueling insecurity by allegedly paying billions of naira in ransom to kidnappers and bandits. He argued that such payments effectively financed criminal networks while publicly denying that negotiations were taking place.
He said these denials were later contradicted by notorious bandit leader Bello Turji, damaging public confidence in the government’s commitment to ending terrorism and kidnapping.
The former DSS director further criticized what he described as widespread corruption among top public officials, saying political leaders often placed personal interests above the safety and welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
He also pointed to remarks made by Buhari during his presidency, including comments describing many Nigerian youths as “lazy,” arguing that such statements deepened public frustration at a time of rising unemployment and economic hardship.
According to Amachree, Nigeria’s security crisis should not simply be viewed as conflicts between ethnic groups but as a failure of the political elite to provide citizens with a stable and secure environment.
He maintained that while insecurity worsened and economic pressures intensified, many politicians continued to pursue personal ambitions instead of implementing policies capable of restoring peace and national stability.
The revelations are contained in Amachree’s memoir, which reflects on his four decades of service in Nigeria’s intelligence community and examines the country’s evolving security challenges.
