The Department of State Services (DSS) has debunked accusations of looting staff subsidy grants levelled against its Director General, Alhaji Yusuf Bichi, by one fake news blogger, Jackson Ude.
DSS said Ude was being mischievous and has continued to smear the image of Bichi as well as present him as corrupt, while facts at the Department of State Services prove otherwise.
Dr. Peter Afunanya, Director, Public Relations and Strategic Communication, DSS, debunked the accusations in a statement on Saturday.
The statement said, “The attention of the Department of State Services (DSS) has been drawn to some spurious publications by one Jackson Ude on his Twitter handle, @jacksonpnb, against the person and office of the DGSS, Alhaji Yusuf Magaji Bichi.”
The service hereby states that the allegations are entirely false. It wishes to clarify that neither the DG nor anyone acting on his directive has looted staff subsidy grants. No such grant has been made available to the service, and once that is allocated, staff will, as usual, receive what is due them. Mr. Bichi has, in all ramifications, evidently catered for the welfare of active and retired personnel. Ude can verify this as common knowledge.
Similarly, the so-called “goodbye allowance” that Ude accused the DG of granting himself is nonexistent. It is only an imagination of the writer and his sponsors. But assuming the DG is paid any severance package at the end of his tenure, how is that unethical and outside of established public service rules?
While Ude is at his mischief once again and has continued to smear the image of Mr. Bichi as well as present him as corrupt, facts at the DSS show otherwise. Recalled from retirement in 2018 and appointed to the DGSS, Bichi is seen as spartan, accountable, transparent, and indeed, incorruptible. He has remained resolute in running the service and shown uncommon commitment in the management of its affairs. His top priorities are staff welfare and the judicious application of human and material resources. Any misleading narratives to the contrary are therefore unacceptable.
Notably, the Service is aware of the desperation and antics of Ude and his other hirelings and associates them with unnecessary controversies either during the 2023 presidential election or the subsequent litigations following it. The recent campaign of calumny is one of them. But as always, the DGSS is unperturbed. The DGSS will continue to lead the service in charting a professional course aimed at ensuring the internal security of the country.
The public should disregard the falsehood being peddled by this known fake news merchant, who misinforms and uses his platforms to create division and violence. Meanwhile, the DGSS will take appropriate legal steps to seek redress.
