Daura operated ‘govt within Buhari’s govt’, what Osinbajo must do to sacked DG DSS – Ex-Kaduna gov, Umar

Former governor of Kaduna State, Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (retd) has alleged that the sacked Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Lawal Daura operated “a government within a government”.

 

Umar said this while commending the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo for his decision to sack Daura.

He urged Osinbajo to probe Daura in order to “seek to discover the motives as well as the explanation for some of those crazy maneuvers.” 

In a statement he personally signed and issued on Friday, the former governor accused Daura of marching from one audacious act of impunity to another, adding that the sacked DSS DG never regarded the rule of law during his three years in office.

The statement entitled, ‘Dismissal of Alhaji LAWAL DAURA, D-G SS: Not a Minute Too Soon’, reads, “Without a doubt, the summary dismissal of Alhaji Lawal Daura, Director-General, Department, State Security, came as a big surprise to many people. It seemed to contradict the world order!

“In the last three years, Lawal Daura had marched from one audacious act of impunity to another; had rudely defied the President, had routinely ignored court orders and seemed all but successful in carving out, for himself, a government within a government in Nigeria. There was hardly any observer of the turbulent Nigerian political scene over the last several years who still believed that Lawal Daura was subject to any laws not to speak of an official code of behavior.

“But on Thursday, the 7th of August, 2018, Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo signed a terse, two-paragraph letter telling Lawal Daura that he has been dismissed from office. Not only that, Professor Osinbajo also ordered Lawal Daura be arrested and remanded in police custody.

“Given all the distress created by the actions of Lawal Daura and those caused through his refusal to act, the decision to sack him did not come a moment too soon.

“And yet, in the interest of our democracy, in order to guard against unexpected threats and conspiracies, the action taken by the acting President must not stop halfway. The government should seek to discover the motives as well as the explanation for some of those crazy maneuvers, many of which simply beggars belief.

“The questions should include the following: (I) Where and in what condition are all the assets handed over to Lawal Daura by the immediate past D-G, SS, Mr. Ita Ekpenyong?

“(I1) What are the reasons why Lawal Daura deployed SS operatives and prevented EFCC personnel from searching the residences of former D-G, SS, Mr Ekpenyong and former D-G, NIA, Mr Oke?

“(111) What is the explanation for the raid on the farm belonging to Ibrahim Magu, Chairman, EFCC, which raid led to loss of lives?

“(1V) Was it not true that Lawal Daura moved to seize and appropriate over fourty three million US dollar NIA funds if he was not prevented from doing so by the National Security Adviser?

“(V) Why did Lawal Daura continuously and in blatant defiance of the President sent false reports to the Nigerian Senate that frustrated the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as substantive Chairman of the EFCC?

“(VI) Why did he continue to ignore court orders allowing several people detained by him to be released on bail?”