The Department of State Services (DSS) neutralized three notorious bandits during a strategic ambush in Dogon Dawa, Mairiga Local Government Area of Niger State, on Friday night. The operation, described as well-coordinated, also forced several other bandits to flee into the bushes with gunshot wounds.
Sources confirmed that DSS operatives recovered three AK-47 rifles and three motorcycles abandoned by the fleeing assailants. The ambush was reportedly the culmination of weeks of intelligence gathering and analysis of intercepted communications among the bandits.
“This operation is one of many daring missions carried out by the DSS in the Northwest and Northeast to neutralize or capture bandits terrorizing innocent citizens. Similar successes have also been recorded in the South-East against the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB),” a security source revealed.
The DSS’s intelligence efforts, especially under the leadership of Director-General Mr. Tosin Ajayi, have significantly enhanced military and security agency operations across the country. By ramping up intelligence gathering and fostering collaboration with other agencies, the DSS has contributed to reducing ambushes on security personnel and dismantling insurgent groups.
“The intelligence provided by the DSS has been pivotal in neutralizing terrorists nationwide,” the source added. “Their covert operations and data-sharing practices have proven effective in improving overall security outcomes.”
A military officer corroborated the DSS’s contributions, stating: “The DSS has played a major role in our successes. Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Mr. Ajayi as Director-General, their effectiveness has increased, even though their activities remain largely underreported. This reflects their return to the covert practices that defined their early years.”
As part of his broader security reforms, President Tinubu has pledged to support the DSS in leveraging artificial intelligence to combat insecurity. He made this commitment during the investiture ceremony of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 17 graduates in Abuja last month.
The President’s reforms aim to bolster the capacity of security agencies, enabling them to address Nigeria’s complex security challenges more effectively.
