The 11 Sins Of DSS Boss Daura That Led To His Sack

*Denting President Muhammadu Buhari’s image
*Overruling Buhari, Osinbajo on crucial matters, such as the
$43.45million recovered at Osborne Towers in Ikoyi, Lagos and
confirmation of Acting EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu
*Alleged disrespect for court orders on ex-NSA Sambo Dasuki and
Ibrahim el-Zakzaky as well as the detention of Jones Abiri
*Determining who to see (or pray with) Buhari
*Unauthorised deployment of operatives / sting operations against
Supreme Court Justices, National Assembly, ex-DSS boss Kayode Are
*Alleged interference in the affairs of other security agencies,
especially the EFCC
*Alleged refusal to take orders from NSA Gen. Mohammed Babagana
Monguno
*Row over freedom for Chibok and Dapchi girls
*Romance with National Assembly officers
*Alleged hostility to the media
*Usurpation of anti-graft agencies’ functions
Department of State Services (DSS) Director-General Lawal Musa Daura
was sacked yesterday for allegedly denting the image and democratic
credentials of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, The Nation learnt
last night.
Matthew Seiyefa, the most senior director at the DSS, took over the
organisation.
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo fired Daura for deploying DSS
operatives to lay siege to the National Assembly.
The deployment was considered by the Presidency to be
“contemptuous” of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
The DSS was suspected to have worked with some principal officers of
the National Assembly “to embarrass the Presidency”.
Daura is believed to be “very close” to a principal officer of the
National Assembly, which has been at loggerheads with the Executive.
The siege to the National Assembly came few hours after Osinbajo
brokered an understanding for the lawmakers to reconvene and
consider the supplementary budget to avoid a shutdown of the
government.
Neither Buhari nor Osinbajo was informed of the deployment of DSS
operatives, it was learnt.
The Presidency is said to have ordered Daura’s detention. He is also
to be disarmed.
The police and other security agencies were combing Daura’s office
and residences as at the time of filing this report last night.
More heads may roll in DSS and other agencies implicated in the siege
to the National Assembly.
Daura was consumed yesterday by the political intrigues in the
country. He was fired with immediate effect .
Daura was summoned to the Presidential Villa by the Acting President
a few minutes before his sack was announced.
He was directed to hand over to the most senior officer of the DSS
until further notice.
The Acting President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and
Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande, in a terse statement, said:”The Acting
President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has directed the termination
of the appointment of the Director General, State Security Service,
Lawal Musa Daura, with immediate effect.
“Mr Daura has been directed to hand over to the most senior officer of
the State Security Service until further notice.’’
Daura was joined at the Villa meeting with the Acting President by
Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris, who arrived at about 12.35
p.m. Daura got in around 1.15p.m.
Osinbajo described the blockade of the National Assembly by
operatives of the DSS as unauthorised.
He condemned it as a gross violation of constitutional order, rule of
law and all accepted notions of law and order.
He said that the unlawful act, which was done without the knowledge
of the Presidency, was completely unacceptable.
The statement said Osinbajo assured Nigerians that “all persons within
the law enforcement apparatus who participated in this travesty will be
identified and subjected to appropriate disciplinary action’’.
Daura, 64, was appointed to head the agency on July 2, 2015 to
replace Ita Ekpeyong. He worked and retired from the agency before
his appointment by Presidnt Muhammadu Buhari.
An unusual security blanket was thrown around the National Assembly
Complex in Abuja early yesterday by men of the DSS.
National Assembly employees, legislative aides and reporters who
arrived before 7 am met stern-faced operatives who barred them from
the facility.
Shortly before 8 am when our correspondent visited the National
Assembly Complex, about 20 policemen were at the outer gate, with
only very few bearing AK-47 rifles.
At the second gate, the situation was different, with nine masked gun-
wielding DSS operatives in black fatigues, along with several other
DSS personnel in suits and regular clothing firmly blocking the
entrance.
The armed men who also had black face masks and hand gloves
carried IMI Tavor Tar-21 assault rifles produced by Israeli Military
Industries.
Three Ford Ranger SUVs without number plates were packed in front of
the gate, ostensibly to disallow anyone from driving in.
A young man who was making a video recording with his mobile
phone promptly stopped after receiving verbal threats from one of the
masked DSS personnel who said: “If I catch that your phone now, I go
march am”.
Initially, everyone, including senators and members of the House of
Representatives were being barred from entering the complex, but
around 8am, 47-year old Honourable Boma Goodhead, militant leader
Asari Dokubo’s sister, defied the security operatives and became the
first lawmaker to enter the complex.
After the entry of Hon. Goodhead, a PDP member who represents
Asalga/Akulga Federal Constituency of Rivers State, several senators
and House members, such as Reps Teejay Yusuf (Kogi), Kingsley
Chinda (Rivers), Agbedi Frederick (Bayelsa), Razaq Atunwa (Kwara)
and Joseph Akinlaja (Ondo) entered the facility.
Senators who entered by 8.15 am include Ben Murray Bruce, Ubale
Shittu, Isa Hamma Misau, Biodun Olujimi and Rafiu Ibrahim.
They walked in through the second gate with their Identification Cards
(IDs) on their chests. All their vehicles were forced to stop and park
outside the gate unlike the usual practice whereby their drivers drove
straight in to their chambers.
Why Osinbajo sacked security chief Daura
Lawal Daura was fired yesterday as Director-General of the Department
of State Services (DSS) for embarrasing the government, a source said.
The source, who pleaded not to be named because of the “sensitivity”
of the matter, listed 11 reasons why Daura got the push.

They are:
Denting President Buhari’s image;
overruling Buhari, VP Osinbajo on crucial matters, such as the
$43.45million recovered at Osborne Towers in Ikoyi, Lagos;
confirmation of the Acting EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu and others;
alleged disrespect of court orders on ex-NSA Sambo Dasuki and
Islamic cleric Ibrahim el-Zakzaky and detention of Jones Abiri; and
using security reasons to determine who to see (or pray) with Buhari.
Others include unauthorised deployment of operatives/ sting
operations against Supreme Court justices, National Assembly, ex-DG
DSS Kayode Are, others; alleged interference in the affairs of other
security agencies, especially the EFCC on some sensitive cases,
including those involving some ex-Service Chiefs, Nigeria Intelligence
Agency (NIA), DSS; alleged refusal to take orders from and
irreconcilable differences with the National Security Adviser, Gen.
Mohammed Babagana Monguno; controversy over negotiation of
freedom for Chibok and Dapchi girls; intelligence report on alleged
romance with Saraki and some principal officers of National Assembly;
alleged hostility to the media and alleged usurpation/ duplication of
the functions of anti-corruption agencies.
The source said: “The DG, DSS had his cup full in the past few weeks
when the President detested some of his actions based on intelligence
report.
“In fact, the President had agreed on a two-week deadline to remove
him. The invasion of the National Assembly by DSS operatives
hastened Daura’s exit.
“The President got an instant briefing from Acting President Yemi
Osinbajo. Buhari also had the privilege to watch the siege on
television.,” the source said, adding:
“Buhari felt insulted that Daura drafted DSS operatives to the National
Assembly without any covert or overt instructions. He, therefore,
directed Osinbajo to fire the DG.”
The source gave the details of how Daura ran the DSS to the
embarrassment of the Presidency.
He said: “What embarrassed the Presidency most was the affront by
the sacked DG in overruling the President on some issues. When AVM
JON Ode Committee was set up by the President to probe the $2.1b
arms deals, he faulted the composition of the panel, which had no
representative from the DSS. He never forgave all those who made
input into the composition of the panel.
“The impunity with which he overruled Buhari on the eligibility of
Ibrahim Magu as a nominee for the chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) with ambiguous security reports
shocked the government. The Senate relied on DSS reports to reject
Magu twice. There was obvious poor cohesion in this administration.
“When the President appointed VP Osinbajo to head a panel to probe
the $43.45million recovered at Osborne Towers in Ikoyi, Lagos, Daura
disagreed with some recommendations in the committee’s report and
raised a curious memo citing why security funds cannot be probed. At
a point, Buhari alluded publicly to Daura’s representation.”
Responding to a question, the source added that “the saddest moment
for Buhari and his deputy was the unauthorised sting operations on
the homes of Supreme Court justices by DSS operatives. A perplexed
Buhari could not justify the arrest of the justices when a former Chief
Justice of Nigeria, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud
Mohammed met with him on the incident.
“There was no intelligence report made available to the President or
VP Osinbajo; no pre-operation briefing, and when he was confronted,
Daura reminded Buhari that there was a presidential verbal directive
that he should do anything to fight corruption.
“Although it was convenient to overrule Daura but the President
allowed the judges to go through the judicial process instead of using
fiat to reverse the DSS.
“The same impunity applies to the disobedience of court orders on ex-
NSA Sambo Dasuki and Ibrahim el-Zakzaky and detention of a
journalist, Jones Abiri. Daura cited security reasons for his action.
“After his long medical trip to London, the President once asked Daura
if Dasuki was still in detention. He justified Dasuki’s detention by
claiming that the ex-NSA was only freed on one of the matters in
court. He said he had more legal hurdles to cross.
“When there was too much noise on El-Zakyzaky’s prolonged
detention without trial, the DSS quickly arranged a parade of the old
man to prove that he was doing well.
“The raid of a former DG of DSS, Col. Kayode Are, in an inhuman
manner was said to have smacked of vengeance because Daura was in
service when Are led the agency.
“The 2018 International Press Institute(IPI) World Congress in June
was expected to fetch some mileage for President Muhammadu Buhari
but the President was shocked when IPI Executive Board Chair John
Yearwood demanded the release of a detained journalist, Jones Abiri
in Nigeria by the DSS since July 2016.
“Some ministers denied that any journalist was detained until the
picture became clearer that Abiri was in DSS gulag.”
The source attributed the removal of Daura to lack of synergy among
security agencies, especially between the National Security Adviser
“He does not have respect for the National Security Adviser, Gen.
Mohammed Babagana Monguno and he refused to report, to him while
in office. This caused a huge gap in inter-security agencies’
coordination.
His irreconcilable differences with Monguno got to a stage that a
former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Ayo
Oke, had to intervene on why they should forgive each other to ensure
a seamless security coordination. The two security chiefs agreed to
work together but the truce collapsed, The Nation learnt.
Daura’s outstanding moments were in securing freedom for Chibok and
Dapchi girls, but there were issues on the negotiation, with
insurgents.
“When a journalist with Daily Independent, Tony Ezimakor, reported the
issues on the international dimension to the negotiation, the DSS
wasted no time in detaining him.
“In the past two weeks, some organizations had been advertising in
some dailies to ask the Presidency to revisit the negotiations.”
The source also alleged that Daura had allegedly tried to interfere with
the investigation of some high-profile suspects, scuh a former Chief of
Army Staff, by the EFCC.
He was also accused of pettiness on security issues.
“The crux of the matter between the DSS and EFCC bordered on moves
by the former to cause a stay of action on some cases. At a point, the
DG became uncomfortable that Magu was not taking instructions from
him. The battle line was drawn between Daura and Magu when the
EFCC started probing the tenure of a former DG of DSS, Mr. Ita
Ekpenyong, and discovered that Ekpenyong left huge funds in the
accounts of the agency, contrary to the allegation that he diverted
same. Daura felt Magu was after him because he was introduced to the
President by the NSA.
“Even when peace was initiated, he told Magu that his rank was not
worth more than an Assistant Superintendent of Police in DSS cadre.
Also, he reminded Magu that he wrote the position paper which led to
the establishment of EFCC and he coordinated the take-off of the anti-
graft commission.
“It was the same venom with which he opposed the clearance of Magu
by the Senate. As if he was not done with the Acting EFCC chairman,
an operative stopped him a few weeks ago from joining the President
at the mosque at the Presidential Villa based on orders from the DSS
headquarters.
“The same ill-treatment was meted out to Sen. Ali Ndume when he
was prevented from praying at the mosque by DSS.
“As we speak, the accreditation of a journalist with The Punch,
Olalekan Adetayo, has not been restored because of security reasons
cited by DSS DG in spite of intervention by some media aides.
“At intelligence meetings with top editors, Daura assumed unusual
airs. He once told editors that if he wanted to cause a crisis in Nigeria,
he can do it within five minutes.
The source explained that in the last few months, the Presidency had
been uncomfortable with Daura when it discovered that he had been
very close to a principal officer of the National Assembly.
“President Buhari initially ignored the alleged romance between Daura
and the principal officer until it became evident that the officer and his
loyalists have more intelligence about government than meet the eye.”
DAURA DETAINED
Our correspondent could not locate where Daura was detained after his
arrest. But a reliable source said: “The initial steps taken by the
Presidency was to disarm Daura because a DG of DSS has a lot of arms
and ammunition under his control.
“He was arrested and detained to enable the police and other agencies
to mop up arms and ammunition under his care.
“All I can tell you is that he is in a safe location.”