A retired Assistant Director of the Department of State Services, Dennis Amachree
says the appointment of Isa Pantami as Minister of Communications and Digital Economy by former President Mohammadu Buhari raised national security concerns and exposed weaknesses in Nigeria’s security vetting process.
Amachree made the assertion in ‘DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield’, a memoir chronicling his four decades in Nigeria’s intelligence service.
The retired DSS officer revisited the controversy that erupted in 2021 after old sermons and public statements in which Pantami allegedly expressed support for extremist groups, including al-Qaeda, the Taliban and Boko Haram, resurfaced online.
Amachree said the controversy raised questions about how someone entrusted with Nigeria’s telecommunications and digital infrastructure passed through the country’s security vetting process.
He noted that the DSS carries out extensive background checks on nominees for sensitive public offices by examining their past affiliations, public speeches, academic records, political leanings, associations and online activities before forwarding intelligence reports to the president and, where necessary, the national assembly.
The retired intelligence officer noted, however, that the agency only provides advice.
Amachree said although he could not confirm the contents of Pantami’s security report, it was difficult to believe that his past public statements would have escaped the attention of intelligence officers conducting background checks.
“In Pantami’s case, it is my belief that the DSS report likely contained references to his earlier extremist sympathies,” he said.
“However, when political imperatives such as federal character balancing, internal party politics, or strategic regional representation enter the equation, security advice can be sidelined.”
Amachree also revisited Pantami’s confirmation by the senate, recalling that Ajibola Basiru, then chairman of the senate committee on media and public affairs, said lawmakers did not receive any adverse security report on the minister before approving his nomination.
The retired DSS officer said the episode highlighted what he described as “the politicization of intelligence”.
“There are two plausible interpretations here: either the DSS report was sanitized before reaching the Senate, or it was submitted with adverse findings that were simply disregarded due to political considerations,” he said.
“Both scenarios reflect systemic weaknesses in Nigeria’s national security framework, either in the flow of intelligence or in the institutional request for security recommendations.”
Amachree noted that the controversy undermined public confidence in Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts because the government was simultaneously prosecuting insurgents while defending the appointment of an official whose previous statements had attracted widespread scrutiny.
He added that the situation was particularly significant because Pantami supervised a ministry responsible for critical telecommunications and digital infrastructure.
“The controversy exposed deep contradictions in Nigeria’s counterterrorism strategy,” he said.
“While the country has expended billions of naira combating Boko Haram, ISWAP and other extremist groups, it simultaneously appointed a minister with a documented history of expressing extremist views.”
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Amachree said the Pantami episode should serve as “a cautionary tale” for future administrations.
“It highlights the urgent need to strengthen institutional respect for intelligence assessments,” he added.
He said strengthening respect for intelligence assessments and insulating security decisions from political interference would improve public confidence in the country’s national security institutions.
