DSS Sacks 115 Operatives in Sweeping Reform, Warns Public Against Impostors
4th November, 2025
The Department of State Services (DSS) has dismissed 115 of its personnel as part of sweeping internal reforms aimed at sanitising the nation’s intelligence agency and restoring public confidence in its operations.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the DSS said the affected officers were removed from service between 2024 and 2025 following internal disciplinary reviews. The agency also published the names and photographs of the dismissed personnel on its official website.
“As part of the ongoing reforms in the Department of State Services (DSS), the public is hereby informed that a total of 115 personnel have been dismissed over a period,” the statement read. “Members of the public are therefore advised to desist from any official dealings with these individuals who have been dismissed by the Service.”
The Service explained that the move was necessary to rid the organisation of elements found guilty of misconduct, indiscipline, and acts inconsistent with the agency’s core values.
According to multiple reports, the DSS has also warned Nigerians to beware of former operatives posing as active officers, noting that such impersonation could lead to fraud or other illegal activities. Two dismissed officers — Barry Donald and Victor Onyedikachi Godwin — were recently arrested for impersonation and related offences.
The dismissals, analysts say, mark one of the most extensive internal purges in the history of Nigeria’s secret police, signalling the agency’s renewed commitment to accountability and professionalism.
