There are indications that the sacked Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura may return to his duty post following new developments within the presidency.
This has confirmed speculations in recent weeks that some powerful persons were pressuring President Muhammadu Buhari to recall him.
The then Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, fired Daura in August after the seige on National Assembly which sparked outrage.
A top security source close to the presidency and conversant with the new development told PRNigeria that plans are afoot to reverse the various reorganisations embarked upon by the new Acting DSS boss, Mathew Seiyefa.
The source said: “The presidency is not happy with some recent deployment by the acting Director General of DSS, Mathew Seiyefa especially the redeployment of Director of DSS in Kano, Alhassan Muhammad to the Headquarters in Abuja and the deployment of Director Operations at the Headquarters, Mr. Godwin Bassey Eteng who was moved to the Institute of Security Studies, Abuja as Director. And the posting of another officer from Kebbi to serve as the Chief of Staff to the DG in Abuja.
“The recent reorganisations which the new DSS chief has initiated include but not limited to postings of directors from headquarters to states and vice-versa. Others include reorganisation within the headquarters, postings across the various government agencies, and postings among the rank and file. Over 30 officers at all levels and cadres are affected in the reorganisation.”
“The impending reversal of the reorganisation is to maintain the status quo hitherto left by the erstwhile DSS boss Daura to pave way for his likely return following what the source revealed as a clean bill of health given to him or for a new replacement that will be very loyal to the Presidency and the government of the ruling party.”
However, the recall of Lawal Daura is expected to trigger wide condemnation.
A few days ago, the embattled Katsina-born Daura finally spoke on his ordeal.He made three declarations: (i) That he took all actions in national interest through a collective responsibility, including involvement of principal officers of sister agencies; (ii) that he acted on a higher authority which he relied on to deploy agents at the National Assembly; (iii) that the report submitted by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Idris Ibrahim, was totally incorrect.
Earlier, in his interim investigation report submitted to Osinbajo, the IGP noted that Daura confessed that he deployed hooded operatives of to the Federal Legislative complex based on intelligence report that unauthorized persons were planning to smuggle in dangerous weapons and incriminating items.
“The former Director-General, Department of State Security Services, DSS, Lawal Daura, acted unilaterally, without informing the Presidency. He did not share or intimate other Security Agencies on the unlawful operations”, Idris wrote in the report.
