The Department of State Service (DSS) has received accolades over its recent exploits in securing Nigeria, especially the arrest of key terror group leaders in the country.

Major kingpins picked up in recent times apparently through an improved coordination of Nigeria’s security intelligence apparatchik under the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, include: One Abubakar Abba, leader of the dreaded Mahmuda terror group, Mahmud Muhammad Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, the self-proclaimed Emir of Ansaru, and Mahmud al-Nigeri, known as Mallam Mamuda, who served as his Chief of Staff.

Aside from Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, who extended the applause to President Bola Tinubu over breakthroughs in the arrest of terror kingpins by the Oluwatosin Ajayi-led secret police, some youths under the Northern Ethnic Youth Group Assembly (NEYGA) as well as the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) also praised the DSS.

Abba, leader of Mahmuda was said to have been recently captured in Wawa, Borgu local government area of Niger State and was taken to Abuja for further investigation. Bago described the move as a demonstration of Tinubu’s commitment to the safety and welfare of Nigerians.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Bologi, the governor said: “Yes, it is true. I can confirm that the leader of Mahmuda, which is one of the most dangerous terror groups in West Africa, Abubakar Abba, has been arrested by the DSS. As you read. He was apprehended alive through an intelligence-led operation by the DSS.

“This is a huge victory for us as a people and as a government, and President Tinubu deserves commendation for this cheering news. Abba’s arrest demonstrates the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to truly ending insecurity and promoting the well-being of Nigerians.

“Look at the appointments in the security services, especially the DSS. It takes a tremendous degree of intelligence and competence to, without firing a single shot, capture a high-profile terrorist like Abba. Where there is a will, they say, there is a way. Mr. President has consistently shown that willpower. That’s why we are recording such successes,” he said.

The governor promised that the Niger State government would continue to collaborate with the federal government and security agencies to ensure that terrorism is halted in the country.

The Mahmuda terror group was said to have been terrorising residents around the Kainji National Park in Niger State as well as some areas in Kwara state.

After weeks of surveillance, the DSS was said to have trailed and arrested the terror group leader in Wawa community, Borgu local government area of Niger State.

Also, a group, Northern Ethnic Youth Group Assembly (NEYGA), has praised the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, for finally confirming weeks of speculation on the capture of two most-wanted leaders of terrorist groups in Nigeria.

Ribadu in a press conference last Saturday in Abuja formally announced the capture of the leadership of the Ansaru terrorist organisation, otherwise known as Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, Nigeria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate, and the Mahmudawa terrorist group.

In a statement in Abuja yesterday, the northern group expressed satisfaction with the NSA for publicly addressing a security issue they said had troubled most parts of Northern Nigeria, especially given the fact that the operation was intelligence driven.

The group noted that this lent credence to the statement by Niger state Governor that the DSS stealth operations resulted in the capture of the terror kingpins.

The statement was signed by NEYGA spokesperson, Ibrahim Dan-Musa, said: “As a group with special interest in happenings in Nigeria, especially the northern part of this great country, we have been consistent in observing the new approach of covertness and studied silence by the new DSS leadership that has been working tirelessly to rid our region of insecurity.

“We are particularly happy with the kind of DSS leadership we now have that is not interested in self-adulation or self-praise, but in results. Even when it was clear to all that the DSS was behind these security gains, the leadership of this security service refused to speak out or take the credit. We are pleased to note that this is in line with the DG’s promise on assumption of office to return the Service to covertness.

“We are particularly pleased that, even after the NSA severally mentioned that the feat was a result of intelligence-led operations, the DSS Director General, Mr. Tosin Ajayi, who was physically present at the press conference, did not behave like someone whose agency has just recorded a major milestone in the global war on terror,” the group said.

It added: “We are not surprised. As Assistant Director in charge of Operations in Kaduna, Mr. Ajayi, in 2009 coordinated the rescue of a Canadian woman, Julie Ann Mulligan (45 years old at the time), who had been kidnapped whilst on a Rotary International exchange programme.

“The operation involved the same covert approach; surveillance, tracking and use of human assets, which resulted in locating Mulligan in a village near Kaduna municipal. No ransom was paid, no single shot was fired, and, of course, there were no casualties during Mulligan’s rescue,” the group recalled.

At the time, it said the Canadian and Kaduna State Governments, as well as Rotary International, issued statements commending the DSS, explaining that the news reports of Mulligan’s rescue are well-documented on the internet.

NEYGA stressed that this new approach of covertness and efficiency displayed by the DSS in the capture of the terror group leaders were clear signs that Nigeria was on the true path to winning the war on terrorism.

In the same vein, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), an Islamic human rights organisation, yesterday praised Nigeria’s security leadership for the recent capture of two notorious terrorist leaders from the Al-Ansaru and Mahmuda groups.

The suspects, Mahmud Muhammad Usman—self-styled “Amir of Ansari”—and his associate Mahmud al-Nigeri, were apprehended in a joint sting operation by operatives of the DSS.

In a press statement issued by MURIC’s Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, he described the arrests as a “major blow to terrorism in Nigeria,” adding that both suspects had been on the wanted lists of Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations for several years.

MURIC commended the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for replicating his record of excellence as former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), now in his current role. The group credited Ribadu’s “methodical and microscopic re-engineering” of Nigeria’s security architecture for recent gains against terrorism, banditry, and organised crime.

The head of the DSS, Ajayi, also received accolades for what MURIC called his “silent but effective” leadership since taking office in August 2024.

Akintola paid special tribute to DSS field operatives, describing them as “the real heroes” of Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.

“They are the lurking shadows at the street corners, those who sleep in vehicles for days, and those who see but must not be seen. We appreciate their sacrifices for our great country,” he said.

MURIC urged the federal government to improve funding for the nation’s security agencies, stressing that national security remains the bedrock of all other sectors.

Analysts have hailed the improved intelligence gathering by the DSS which has helped to put the terror groups on the back foot. According to one analyst, “The leadership of DSS and the National Security Adviser deserve commendation. We cannot thank them enough,” declared an analyst who preferred to be named. (THISDAY)

• Abubakar Abba, leader of the dreaded Mahmuda terror group and Mahmud Muhammad Usman, a.k.a Abu Bara’a, the self-proclaimed Emir of Ansaru, both recently apprehended by the DSS