How Buhari’s “Indifference” Fueled Banditry, Kidnapping in Nigeria — Ex-DSS Director

A former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has accused the administration of late former President Muhammadu Buhari of fuelling the escalation of banditry, kidnapping and insurgency across Nigeria through what he described as government indifference, widespread corruption, and secret ransom payments to criminal groups. Amachree made the explosive claims in his newly released memoir, “DSS@40: My Journey Behind the Shield,” which he presented during the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the DSS, offering a rare insider’s view of frontline security operations spanning decades and providing an unflinching assessment of Nigeria’s security architecture under civilian and military administrations.

According to the former intelligence chief, the period of Buhari’s presidency was a critical time when security threats metastasised, yet the administration failed to respond effectively despite repeated warnings and increasing attacks on communities across the North-West, North-East, North-Central and other parts of the country. “The period of the Muhammadu Buhari administration is viewed as a critical time when security threats metastasized, and government indifference became palpable,” Amachree wrote in his memoir. “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 former DSS director said the situation created profound frustration among citizens who felt abandoned as attacks by terrorists, bandits and kidnappers continued across several states, with communities left to defend themselves against heavily armed criminals.

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The former DSS director also criticised some of Buhari’s public comments during his time in office, saying they deepened public dissatisfaction at a period when many Nigerians were already struggling with economic hardship and insecurity. He specifically referenced the former president’s remark describing Nigerian youths as “lazy” during international trips, stating that such comments “added insult to the injury of widespread unemployment” and “further alienated a massive segment of the population who felt abandoned by the government.” Beyond what he described as weak responses to insecurity, Amachree accused top government officials of enabling the crisis through corruption and the payment of ransom to criminal groups, claiming that billions of naira were secretly paid to bandits in efforts to secure the release of kidnapped victims. He argued that such payments effectively financed terrorism and encouraged more abductions across the country, creating a vicious cycle where ransom payments became a primary source of funding for criminal networks. “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 wrote, pointing to the infamous bandit leader who publicly contradicted government claims about ransom payments.

Amachree further argued that Nigeria’s security challenges should not be viewed solely through ethnic or regional lenses, warning against the temptation to frame insecurity along simplistic communal lines. Instead, he said the larger problem lies within the political class, which he accused of prioritising personal interests above the welfare and security of ordinary citizens, thereby perpetuating the very conditions that allow criminality to thrive. “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,” Amachree stated. He added that while economic concerns and security threats continued to grow, many politicians operated with what he described as “reckless abandon,” prioritising personal interests over national stability and confirming their role as “the ultimate threat to social cohesion and security.”

During his presidency, Buhari consistently defended his administration’s efforts against terrorism and banditry, insisting that security agencies were working tirelessly to defeat criminal groups operating across the country. In August 2021, amid growing criticism over rising attacks by armed groups, Buhari rejected allegations that his government was soft on bandits and terrorists, arguing that those accusing him of applying double standards were being unfair to his administration’s efforts. “I’m also dealing with bandits in the language they understand,” Buhari said during an interview at the time, maintaining that security agencies had been directed to intensify operations against criminal elements threatening national security. On another occasion, Buhari vowed that armed bandits would not be spared, directly instructing military personnel to pursue and eliminate those responsible for attacks on communities. “As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I believe you are capable of doing it. I don’t think you should spare any bandit. Identify and eliminate them. Pursue them anywhere you can find them and eliminate them,” he declared. The former president also repeatedly assured Nigerians that terrorism, kidnapping and banditry would eventually be defeated, proclaiming in an Easter message while still in office that “under my watch, the nation will triumph over them – terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and the like.”