The DSS invited Yusuf Datti Baba Ahmed after monitoring public comments officials believed could heighten national tension
Security sources said his remarks on the judiciary and military during televised interviews were viewed as potentially inflammatory
The agency treated the matter as a preventive step aimed at curbing rhetoric capable of undermining confidence in state institutions
Baba Ahmed, who served as the Labour Party’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 election, was contacted by the security agency on Friday evening.
A security source said the former lawmaker’s comments on national television had drawn concern within intelligence circles because they touched on sensitive issues tied to the stability of state institutions, Daily Trust reported.
According to the source, operatives had monitored several interviews where Baba Ahmed spoke about what he described as a constitutional crisis.
He was said to have criticised the judiciary and the military over the inauguration of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
“A few days ago, Baba-Ahmed was on national television blaming the judiciary and the military for allowing the swearing-in of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashmir Shettima. He even went to the length of inciting the military that it was President Tinubu’s swearing-in that made it possible for them to look you in the face and call you ‘bloody fools,” the official said.
The source added that the agency viewed such remarks as potentially inflammatory during a period when the political climate remained fragile.
The official referenced recent instability in countries like Guinea Bissau as an example of how provocative rhetoric could contribute to unrest. He said the invitation was part of the agency’s routine approach to preventing narratives that could feed public anxiety.
“I believe the secret police is treating his comments with caution. It has nothing to do with politics, but the corporate existence of our nation could be threatened if such rhetoric is allowed to fester,” he noted.
Another security operative said remarks attributed to Baba Ahmed, including his description of national security efforts as a “joke,” could weaken confidence in state institutions.
“These sessions are not punitive; they are preventive, focused on clarifying intent, contextualizing the remarks, and preventing the emergence of narratives that could unintentionally fuel unrest,” the source said.
The DSS had not issued an official statement on the invitation at the time this report was filed.