A coalition of indigenous youth associations in Plateau State has alleged that recent allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation levelled against operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area were aimed at distracting security agencies and undermining ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the state.
The coalition consequently urged the DSS and other security agencies not to relent in their intelligence-led operations against criminal elements, insisting that security personnel should remain focused on restoring peace to communities ravaged by years of violence.
The position was presented on Tuesday in Jos by the Northern Zone Chairman of the Coalition of Indigenous Youth Nationalities, Barr. Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, who spoke on behalf of the Afizere, Anaguta, Atakar, Atten, Berom, Irigwe, Kunlere, Mushere, Mwagavwul, Pan and Ron youth associations, alongside the Coalition of Plateau State Indigenous Youth Bodies.
Addressing journalists, Mwantiri said the coalition was concerned that allegations recently circulated against DSS personnel operating around Kwok, popularly known as “Ruga Jalo,” in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, gained traction at a time the agency’s intelligence-driven operations were, according to the coalition, yielding positive results in curbing attacks.
While acknowledging that allegations against security personnel should never be ignored, he stressed that such claims must be subjected to thorough, impartial and transparent investigation and should not be accepted as established facts without credible evidence.
“Allegations of misconduct against any security agency must never be dismissed. Such weighty accusations deserve prompt, impartial and transparent investigation in accordance with our extant laws.
“However, sensational allegations must never be elevated to established facts without evidence, which, in our firm view, is a propaganda strategy employed to distract and weaken the ongoing crackdown on insurgency bedevilling Plateau State and the country at large,” Mwantiri said.
The coalition maintained that the deployment of a DSS operational camp to Barkin Ladi in May 2026 marked a turning point in the security situation within the area, saying intelligence-led operations had significantly reduced attacks that had claimed hundreds of lives and displaced many residents over the past few months.
Mwantiri noted that, apart from the July 4 attack in Sabon Layi, where three vigilante operatives were killed, communities around the axis had witnessed an appreciable decline in major attacks following the deployment of the DSS.
He, however, alleged that shortly after the claims against DSS personnel gained public attention, fresh attacks were recorded in parts of Barkin Ladi and neighbouring Riyom Local Government Area, describing the development as a pattern that deserved the attention of security authorities.
“We urge all security agencies not to be distracted from their constitutional responsibility of protecting innocent citizens. Those engaged in genuine security operations should be encouraged, supported and held accountable strictly within the ambit of the law, while frivolous, malicious or unsubstantiated allegations intended to obstruct legitimate security efforts must be carefully scrutinised and investigated,” he added.
The coalition called on the Federal Government and the Plateau State Government to deepen collaboration with the DSS and other security agencies by extending the intelligence-led security architecture currently in place in Barkin Ladi to other vulnerable local government areas, including Riyom, Bokkos, Mangu, Bassa, Jos South, Kanam and Qua’an Pan.
It also urged residents to support security agencies with timely and credible intelligence while rejecting misinformation capable of undermining legitimate efforts to restore peace and protect lives and property across Plateau State.
As of the time of filing this report, the Department of State Services (DSS) had not issued any official statement in response to the allegations referenced by the coalition.
