Pantami’s appointment exposed flaws in Nigeria’s security vetting, says ex-DSS director
A retired Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has said political considerations may have overridden security advice in the appointment of Isa Pantami as Minister of Communications and Digital Economy under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Amachree made the claim in his newly released memoir, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield, where he reflected on what he described as weaknesses in Nigeria’s security vetting process for public office holders.
The former intelligence officer revisited the controversy that followed the resurfacing in 2021 of old sermons and public comments in which Pantami allegedly expressed support for extremist groups, including al-Qaeda, the Taliban and Boko Haram.
According to Amachree, the episode raised questions about how an individual entrusted with overseeing Nigeria’s telecommunications and digital infrastructure was cleared through the country’s security screening process.
He explained that the DSS conducts extensive background checks on nominees for sensitive public offices, examining their affiliations, public statements, academic history, political leanings, associations and online activities before submitting intelligence reports to the President and, where necessary, the National Assembly.
However, he stressed that the agency’s role is advisory and that final decisions rest with political authorities.
“In Pantami’s case, it is my belief that the DSS report likely contained references to his earlier extremist sympathies,” Amachree wrote.
“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 said he could not confirm the contents of Pantami’s security report but argued it was unlikely that intelligence officers conducting background checks would have overlooked the minister’s past public statements.
