The removal of Yusuf Bichi as the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) by President Bola Tinubu has sparked widespread reactions, with many Nigerians, including prominent figures like Omoyele Sowore, Austin Okai, and Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, expressing their joy.
Naija News reported that a viral video captured DSS staff celebrating Bichi’s removal. The footage has fueled public discourse, with various political and social commentators weighing in on the significance of Bichi’s exit.
Austin Okai, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State, took to social media to express his satisfaction with Bichi’s removal. He criticized Bichi’s appointment, attributing it to the alleged nepotism of former President Muhammadu Buhari rather than merit. Okai described Bichi as one of the worst to ever lead the secret service.
“Bichi wasn’t even supposed to be there initially; it’s Buhari’s nepotism that brought the man back from retirement. One of the worst DSS,” Okai commented on his X handle.
Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), also reacted to the news. Sowore, who had been detained by the DSS under Bichi’s leadership, pointed out that the jubilation among DSS staff indicated Bichi’s failure to lead effectively. However, he also accused these same officers of carrying out “dirty jobs” under Bichi’s orders.
Sowore tweeted, “The DSS officials here are jubilant over the removal of Bichi, but these are the same officers sent to do all the dirty jobs, and they’ll carry them out ‘diligently’. Wait until the current IG of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, is retired (hopefully next week or when he’s eventually disgraced out of office), and you will see senior police officers throwing their berets in the air in jubilation. The man, just like his principal Bola Tinubu, has turned the Nigeria Police Force into what Yorubas call for Yoruba folks. Basically, he favors mostly—ONLY—Yoruba officers for posh assignments.”
Aloy Ejimakor, the legal counsel for Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), also joined in the celebrations. He viewed Bichi’s removal as the departure of one of Kanu’s adversaries. Ejimakor suggested that Bichi, along with Ahmed Rufai, the former DG of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), who recently resigned, played a role in the extraordinary rendition of Kanu.
On his X handle, Ejimakor wrote, “Do you know that Ahmed Rufai who just resigned as DG, NIA, and Yusuf Bichi, who was yesterday replaced as DG, DSS, were vicariously responsible for the extraordinary rendition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu? Who is next?”
News Editor