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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The National Secretary of the Campaign for Democracy (CD), Olufemi Lawson, has called on the Federal Government to invest significantly more in intelligence, saying the recent arrests by the Department of State Services (DSS) show what focused intelligence work can achieve.
Lawson was reacting to the arrest of five suspects linked to the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, and the reported arrest of fugitive Faisal Maina, who had been on the run since 2020. He described both as significant achievements in the fight against insecurity.
“Security cannot be sustained through force alone,” he said, adding that intelligence lets agencies identify criminal networks, anticipate attacks and dismantle operational structures before further damage is done. He said the same argument informed his comments in a television interview on Saturday.
Lawson urged the Federal Government to prioritise modern intelligence technology, digital forensics, personnel training, secure communication systems and better operational logistics. He said prevention through intelligence is more effective and cheaper than responding to attacks after lives and property are lost.
He also called for increased funding for the DSS, covering technology, staff welfare, intelligence infrastructure and field operations, but said this must come with accountability and effective oversight.
The CD official commended the Director-General of the DSS, Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin, for renewed emphasis on the service’s core mandate of intelligence gathering, threat assessment and threat prevention.
He said this marked a welcome departure from what critics had seen in earlier periods as a drift towards unconventional approaches that risked overshadowing that mandate. He also praised the officers and men of the service for their vigilance and professionalism.
Lawson said the arrests raise the need for closer cooperation among the DSS, the military, the police, the EFCC and other agencies, noting that criminal networks exploit gaps in coordination and information sharing. He called for joint intelligence operations and timely exchange of credible information.
He urged security agencies to track down the remaining suspects in the NYSC abduction, and said all those found culpable must face the law. He also asked the Federal Government to ensure investigations and prosecutions follow due process.
“Nigeria cannot afford to treat intelligence as a secondary component of national security,” he said. “It must be recognised as a strategic national investment.”
