The recently appointed Director General of the Department of State Security Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, on Thursday, August 7, 2015 was a guest on Al Jazeera television where he answered questions on a range of issues.
While responding to questions, Daura said the DSS (also known as SSS) under him will not exempt anyone who has plans or has has sabotaged Nigeria’s interests.
Reacting to accusations that he is being used by President Muhammadu Buhari to witch-hunt perceived enemies of the All Progressives Congress (APC), especially members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Daura said he would not do such saying: “Nigerians should closely watch and follow what we have started and what we will continue to do. I am sure they will not find us wanting.
“Whatever comes before us with facts and figures, it will be dealt with equally as required by the law.”
It would be recalled that there has been considerable persecution of members and perceived sympathizers of the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration by the DSS, which serves as Nigeria’s Secret Police since Daura’s appointment. Some notable victims of the said clampdown include the former Chief Security Office (CSO) of Jonathan, Gordon Obua, who was detained in solitary confinement for days.
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Former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki’s house was also raided by operatives of the DSS a few weeks ago with subsequent threats of charges for treasonable felony being brought against him over $40,000, seven luxury cars, and seven rifles found in his residence. His passport was unlawfully seized by the DSS.
Dasuki, who served under President Jonathan, is a retired Army colonel and crown prince of the Sokoto Sultanate. He maintains that the raid on his house is a ‘witch-hunt’ by the Buhari government.
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Asides the aforementioned, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for Akwa Ibom, Austin Okojie, who was detained tortured for 13 days and his Rivers State counterpart, Gesila Khan , who was also detained for two weeks by Nigeria’s secret police. The harassment, detention, and torture of electoral officials of the two oil rich states is connected with the interest of President Buhari in reclaiming electoral victory from main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in those states.
None of the INEC officials detained by the DSS have been charged with any crime and the election petitions filed by the APC is being tried at election tribunals.
President Buhari appointed Lawal Daura, his kinsman from his hometown in Katsina on July 2, as head of the DSS after firing Ita Ekpeyong. Daura was recalled from retirement as he had retired from the service of the DSS when he reached the mandatory age of 60 according to the Civil Service rules of Nigeria. He is also a member of Buhari’s political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and served on the security committee for Buhari’s presidential campaign.
