Following a spate of false and misleading media articles emanating from a notorious blackmailer by the name Jackson Ude and targeting the revered and impeccable personality of Alhaji Yusuf Magaji Bichi OFR mni, the Director General (DG) of the Department of State Security (DSS) and his agency, an Abuja based Civil Society Group, Rising-Up for a United Nigeria (RUN) has expressed shock at the brazen level of intentional and calculated mischief by enemies of the State who masquerade as journalists.

RUN which is as an advocate for good governance and policy reforms through the fight against corruption and abuse of office questioned the motive of the renegade Jackson Ude, whose purported investigative journalism career has been riddled with gaffes and scandals of treasonable proportion against the Nigerian state and her institutions.

In a release made available to journalists in Abuja by its National Convener, Amb. Solomon Adodo, a copy of which was sighted by our correspondent, the group maintained that it is gross to even link an honourable gentleman and professional like Alhaji Yusuf Bichi with any from of graft and corruption as he has clearly demonstrated a high degree of transparency and zero tolerance for corruption in his entire glorious career as a thoroughly disciplined security officer with unmatched candour.

The statement reads in part, “the lame and ill-informed allegation that the current DG of DSS has increased his severance package if at all it exists, from ₦120 million to ₦200 million is simply empty clout chasing and a display of the highest level of ignorance fused with deliberate mischief on the part of someone who claims to be an international investigative Journalist like Jackson Ude. It is infantile to believe that an appointee of the government can actually decide how much their pay should be. This street journalism and those who practice it should hide their faces in shame.

According to RUN, it is also inconceivable to even speculate that the DG has a hand in the allowance of personnel of the Service including the ₦35,000 subsidy removal palliative as alleged by the wannabe journalist who hides to throw his volley of journalistic garbage without coming out to own up to his bucket of lies, adding that he should not think he is invisible as the hands of the law will catch up with him.

“It is true that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the ₦35, 000 for civil servants across board as part of a wider deal signed by the Nigerian Labour Congress with effect from 1st September. The truth, however is that, no Ministry Agency or Parastatal has been paid including Polytechnic and University lecturers. Agents of mischief and misinformation who jump at conclusions without making the right investigations should stop heating the polity”. “Jackson Ude and his ilk should know better that the DSS is not a political body to be dragged into whatever vendetta he has against the government, he has obviously been blinded by the hatred he has for efficiently functional systems in Nigeria and the fact that DGSS Bichi refused to make any compromises in the course of his duty”, the statement added.

The group urged Nigerians and the management of DSS to “disregard the antics of crisis entrepreneurs who take delight in dragging the reputation and integrity of people and institutions of government to disrepute for their personal, selfish and fiendish purposes, noting further that it is a breach of national security to willfully and intentionally attempt to set Nigerians against the DSS and the actions of Jackson Ude should not be excused for any reason to serve as a deterrent to others”.