Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A Department of State Services officer has been dismissed from service after he raised concerns that official security reports containing intelligence about planned attacks were not reaching Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang. Documents and accounts obtained by SaharaReporters show that the officer, who served as a Duty Officer at the Plateau State Command, was queried, transferred to Abuja, and eventually dismissed after he photographed sealed mails at the Government House in Jos and reported that they had not been delivered to their intended recipient.
The controversy began on February 1, 2026, when the officer went to the Government House to deliver official correspondence. According to his written response to a subsequent query, an officer at the Government House told him that several earlier mails sent by the DSS were still in his custody and had not reached the governor. The officer described the revelation as "disturbing, unprofessional and worrisome." Sources said the Government House officer subsequently brought out old mails from a drawer to demonstrate that correspondence sent by the DSS had allegedly remained there instead of reaching the governor. The DSS personnel photographed some of the documents, explaining that the photographs were intended to serve as evidence for senior DSS officials.
One of the reports affected was dated January 30, 2026, and addressed to the Executive Governor of Plateau State at the Government House, Little Rayfield, Jos. The report warned of the "Presence Of Armed Militia" and a threat of attack on some communities in Qua'an Pan Local Government Area. It stated that intelligence had indicated the presence of an armed group in the area and warned that the development could pose a threat of further attacks on surrounding communities. In its assessment, the report stated that the presence of the armed group "portends a threat of imminent attack on the area and other surrounding localities." The report also said security agencies were collaborating to sustain vigilance and intensify patrols around the affected communities and urged residents to provide timely information to security agencies.
Sources familiar with the matter alleged that despite being addressed to the governor, the report was among the correspondence that remained at the Government House and did not reach him. A copy of the query dated February 17, 2026, accused the personnel of picking up five sealed mails previously delivered to the Government House, opening them and photographing their contents with a personal phone without authorisation. The query described the action as "unbecoming of a member of the Service" and alleged that the photographs were taken "for unknown ulterior motive." He was directed to explain within 48 hours why disciplinary action should not be taken against him.
In his response dated February 18, 2026, the personnel rejected the suggestion that he had an ulterior motive. He explained that he took the photographs after being informed that correspondence from the DSS was allegedly not reaching the governor and after he was shown old mails that were reportedly being kept at the Government House. According to his response, the photographs were intended to enable him report the matter to the State Director and seek "proper investigation and action." The personnel also said he subsequently reported the matter to a senior officer in the operations department, who promised to escalate the issue to the State Director. Sources further alleged that the personnel later sent a WhatsApp message directly to the command director, attaching a photograph of one of the intelligence reports. The director reportedly acknowledged the complaint and indicated that the matter would be addressed.
However, according to the sources, rather than the alleged failure to deliver the intelligence becoming the focus of an investigation, the personnel himself became the subject of disciplinary proceedings. The sources alleged that he was subjected to what they described as a "shallow investigation," subsequently transferred to the DSS national headquarters in Abuja and eventually dismissed from the service. The documents obtained from the sources contain the personnel's response to the allegation that he breached service rules but do not, by themselves, establish the reason for his eventual dismissal or conclusively show that his dismissal was directly connected to his complaint about the alleged non-delivery of intelligence.
In his response to the query, the personnel pleaded that any breach of service rules was an oversight rather than a deliberate attempt to compromise the service. He also stated that he had served for about five years without previously being found wanting over service rules or ethics, describing the incident as his first offence. The documents therefore raise questions about what happened to security reports after they were delivered to the Government House, if they were indeed intended for the governor.
A top source blamed the chief detail to the governor for the alleged failure of the intelligence reports to reach the governor. The source, who confirmed the development, said the governor was "blindsided" by the situation. "Most of the report sent from DSS office do not always reach the intended recipient. In fact, they complain that he keeps reports in his car and room," the source alleged. The source further alleged that the chief detail had previously been cautioned over the handling of the reports but that no effective action was taken. "The chief detail has been cautioned on this but nothing seems to be done. In fact, there has been a high level of unprofessionalism that made people question the so-called discipline in the Government House," the source said. The source also alleged that the chief detail had, on several occasions, been accused of withholding allowances meant for DSS personnel working under him. "For example, he was on several occasions caught in the act of withholding the allowances of the DSS personnel under him, like the plainclothes allowance, where the governor gave each officer the sum of ₦300,000, but the money didn't reach them all," the source told SaharaReporters.
Another source corroborated the allegations concerning the chief detail and made additional claims about his conduct. "There was a time he got drunk and urinated in his trousers and the governor ordered the police to take him off from the place. But it seems the DSS under him are afraid to relay this information to the office because they believe that nothing will be done because the chief detail is a favourite," the source alleged.
SaharaReporters could not independently verify the allegations concerning the chief detail or establish whether disciplinary action was taken against him. The allegations also could not be independently linked to the DSS personnel's eventual dismissal. When contacted, the spokesperson for Governor Mutfwang, Gyang Bere, said he was not in a position to comment on DSS-related matters. "I have nothing to say as regards the DSS affairs because I'm just the Plateau State (Governor's) spokesperson not DSS spokesperson," Gyang told SaharaReporters.
The matter is particularly significant given the nature of the intelligence contained in the January 30 report. In January 2026, SaharaReporters reported that gun-wielding terrorists launched a deadly attack on Bong village in Doemak District, Qua'an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing at least seven people and leaving several others injured. The reported attack underscores the security concerns surrounding Qua'an Pan and the importance of timely communication of intelligence to authorities responsible for coordinating responses to emerging threats. The dismissal of the officer who tried to ensure that intelligence reached the governor raises troubling questions about the internal mechanisms of Nigeria's security architecture and whether warnings of impending violence are being treated with the urgency they demand.
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