Marshal expressed concern over what he described as the DSS’s deviation from its statutory responsibilities.
Abubakar Marshal, lead counsel for human rights activist and former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, on Tuesday lambasted the Department of State Services (DSS) over what he described as glaring contradictions and blunders by its key witness in Sowore’s ongoing cyberstalking trial.
Speaking after the cross-examination of the prosecution’s first witness, DSS operative Mr. Cyril Nosike, Marshal said the agency should “bury its head in shame” for the quality of evidence presented before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He added that the DSS submitted video evidence in which a public figure, later cleared by the same agency for an ambassadorial appointment, openly described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as an “international drug baron” and a “criminal.”
“We asked the witness why the DSS cleared such a person for ambassadorial appointment after those statements,” Marshal said. “His response was that he did not know why the person was cleared, but admitted that he was indeed cleared by the DSS.”
Marshal called the ongoing trial a sham and an illustration of institutional failure, noting that a DSS official openly admitted in court that he had received no directive or instruction from President Tinubu to initiate the cyberstalking charge.
“The witness told the court that he did not receive any instruction from the President to file this case, and that he is not answerable to the President but to his superiors within the DSS,” he said.
Marshal expressed concern over what he described as the DSS’s deviation from its statutory responsibilities.
“The DSS we used to know were secret agents saddled with intelligence gathering and discreetly forwarding reports to relevant authorities. The Act that established the DSS recognises it as one of Nigeria’s secret services, not an agency meant to be seen dabbling in public disputes,” he said.
Marshal accused the DSS of interfering in civil and personal matters far outside its mandate, citing alleged cases involving tenancy disputes, debt mediation, and even the arrest of a young woman who reportedly refused a forced marriage.
“A young lady was arrested and detained by the DSS simply because she refused to marry a man her father chose for her. We had to fight to secure her release and expose the unlawful detention,” he alleged.
He further criticised the DSS’s claim of monitoring social media “24 hours a day,” questioning its priorities amid worsening insecurity in the country.
“Bandits post videos on YouTube and social media daily, boasting about kidnappings and violence. Yet the only things the DSS seems interested in monitoring are criticisms of the President,” he said.
He warned that the DSS was rapidly losing public credibility and called on the agency to urgently retrace its steps.
He urged the service to refocus on its core mandate of intelligence gathering to combat terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping.
“This is the lowest point the DSS can sink to. They must urgently retrace their steps and refocus on intelligence gathering, and confront the real threats; terrorism and kidnapping that plague this country.” Abubakar concluded.