The Department of State Services has invited Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the 2023 Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, over a series of public statements the agency considers inciting and capable of inflaming national tensions.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the founder of Baze University was invited on Friday evening after the secret police reportedly reviewed his recent media appearances, where he repeatedly alleged that Nigeria was facing a “constitutional crisis” following the swearing-in of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Multiple security sources were quoted to have said that Baba-Ahmed has been under close watch in the past weeks over remarks targeting the judiciary, the military, and the legitimacy of the current administration.
A senior intelligence officer familiar with the development said Baba-Ahmed’s comments crossed the threshold of “political criticism” and ventured into rhetoric with the potential to “agitate the public and undermine trust in state institutions.”
‘He went too far,’ says security source
According to one of the sources, the DSS had taken particular interest in an interview where Baba-Ahmed faulted the military and the judiciary for “allowing” the Tinubu administration to assume office in May 2023.
“He went as far as telling the military that the swearing-in made it possible for them to ‘look Nigerians in the face and call them bloody fools.’
“These are not benign comments. They carry weight, especially at a time when the country is battling multiple security pressures,” the source said.
Another official noted that similar inflammatory narratives had contributed to political instability in parts of West Africa, including Guinea-Bissau, adding that Nigeria could not afford the risk.
DSS treating comments as national-security issue, not politics
The source clarified that the invitation was not politically motivated, stressing that the agency was acting within established security protocols.
“The DSS believes these statements, left unchecked, could worsen public distrust and trigger avoidable unrest. This is purely a preventive engagement, not punishment.
“These sessions help clarify intent, seek context, and caution individuals whose public influence can shape sensitive national conversations,” the source added.
The official also referenced Baba-Ahmed’s assertion that efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture were a “joke,” saying such remarks could “undermine public morale and weaken confidence in national defence systems.”
As of the time of filing this report, the DSS has not issued an official statement regarding the invitation, and efforts to reach the agency’s spokesperson proved unsuccessful.
Baba-Ahmed, a former senator and respected academic, has remained one of the most vocal critics of the 2023 election outcome and the subsequent judicial decisions affirming President Tinubu’s victory.
His invitation comes at a time when the country continues to grapple with heightened political sensitivity, economic challenges, and surging public frustration.
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