By Iheanacho Nwosu,Abuja
There is growing concern in the Presidency and security circle over alleged moves and utterances of key politicians believed to be nursing presidential ambition in 2019, Daily Sun learnt yesterday.
The development, a source at the Department of State Security (DSS) revealed, is considered a huge problem “because the country is likely to be on fire” if the unnamed politicians are allowed to continue in the direction they are going.
With the way things are unfolding, the source, who did not want his name mentioned, claimed both the State Security Service and other security agencies now weigh politicians as being more dangerous than Boko Haram.
He said: “What is giving security agencies grey hairs is the ambition of some prominent politicians. They are more dangerous than Boko Haram. They are sharpening their knives and taking other dangerous steps because they want to be president, governor or senator.
It is a very serious matter; the way to 2019 is already strewn with dangerous weapons. They want to set Nigeria on fire.”
According to the source, the worry over the activities of the politicians, who he said were being monitored, stemmed from their huge influence, massive wealth and high network across the country.
He alleged the politicians were making incendiary and divisive utterances in private meetings, while they pretend to be patriots in public outings.
“We are concerned because these politicians say one thing in the public and another in private political meetings.
They want to set this country on fire just because of their ambition,” the senior DSS official said.
He said “the media should all join hands to stop these politicians from unleashing terror on the country in the name ambition.”
He, however, declined to reveal what the security agents and the presidency were doing to checkmate the politicians, but assured nobody would be allowed to “set our nation on fire because of politics”.
The source said the challenge facing security agents at the moment was how to address the security threat posed by some Boko Haram members who fled Sambisa forest.
He disclosed that some of the fleeing sect members have been nabbed and are currently in detention.
“Our challenge is fleeing Boko Haram members. We are arresting them and we will continue to be on their trail. But it is a huge challenge for us at the moment.
“The good thing is Boko Haram is almost history now. We will handle the current challenge effectively and efficiently because the new development is not strange, it was expected. Security agencies are working together on this and it is paying off.”
He hailed the activities of the DSS, saying the agency’s exploits were getting accolades from the international community.
On herdsmen, the DSS source accused politicians of politicising the issue.
He said some legislations on the matter may worsen the situation and advised that caution must be applied by Nigerians on the issue.
