The new Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Musa Daura has removed Abdulrahman Mani, the Chief Security Officer to General Muhammadu Buhari, from Aso Villa and posted him to Ebonyi State with immediate effect.
Usman Abubakar was reportedly appointed immediately to replace the CSO.
Mani has been faced with serious attacks after he revoked the order by the Aide-De-Camp (ADC) to the President, Lt.-Col. Lawal Abubakar, directing operatives of the DSS to desist from all forms of close body protection to Buhari.
The embattled CSO issued a memo in that regard in which he explained the reasons for his actions.
He wrote, “In fact, the issues raised in the aforementioned (ADC’s) circular tend to suggest that the author may have ventured into a not-too-familiar terrain.
“The extant practice, the world over, is that VIP protection, which is a specialised field, is usually handled by the Secret Service, under whatever nomenclature.
“They usually constitute the inner core security ring around every principal. The Police and the military by training and mandate are often required to provide secondary and tertiary security cordons around venues and routes.
“However, all other security agencies, including the army, the police and others, also have their roles to play. It is on this note that heads of all security agencies currently in the Presidential Villa and their subordinates are enjoined to key into the existing command and control structure. They are to work in harmony with each other in full and strict compliance with the demands of their statutorily prescribed responsibilities.
“Meanwhile, joint training programmes and other incentives will be worked out in the days ahead to ensure that all security personnel at the Presidential Villa are properly educated to understand their statutory roles and responsibilities.
“This is with a view to avoiding obvious grandstanding, overzealousness, limited knowledge or outright display of ignorance in future.”
