Fans of the immediate past Director-General of the Department of State Security Service (DSS), Mr. Lawal Daura have taken steps to ‘avenge’ the DSS boss
These plans include getting National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Babagana Monguno and the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) fired
According to the Nation, these supporters include some members of the President’s kitchen cabinet and kinsmen
According to the Nation, the Daura supporters are of the opinion that the whole situation was a setup in a bid to secure the survival of the NSA, Magu, and a few other security chiefs.
These supporters have now opined that the President overhaul the entire security arm of the nation and that all the leaders should be sacked.
There are people in Monguno and Magu’s corner and they state that the two didn’t contribute to Daura’s sack and should, therefore, be left alone.
According to the Nation, an EFCC source said that the anti-graft body purposely stayed out of the interrogation of the Ex-DSS boss so as to avoid accusations of retaliation.
READ: How service chiefs are contributing to insecurity – National Security Adviser
However, it has been gathered that the Presidency has called for “performance brief on the NSA and Magu.”
According to a source for THE NATION, “Those loyal and sympathetic to the ex-DG of DSS are up in arms by mounting pressure on the President to overhaul the nation’s security and anti-corruption architecture,”
“They specifically demanded the sack of the NSA and Magu too.
“They alleged that the ex-DSS DG was sacrificed in the absence of the President to ease him out of the equation in the presidency.
“They also alleged that the removal of Daura was timed to achieve a purpose for the NSA and the EFCC boss.
“Some of these forces even added spiritual connotations to the sack of Daura. They said some marabouts did the job on behalf of some key figures around the President.
“It is unfortunate that a governor from the South-West, who has links with a few corrupt ones, has been vehement in the sack of Magu.”
According to the Nation, the source added “those backing Daura’s sack prevailed on the President not to bow to pressure to remove the NSA and Magu who has done so much to put the anti-corruption fight on proper footing.
“Some of the lobbyists and influential people from the Northwest are alleged to be getting tired of the Northeast elements around President Buhari. They are asking him to remove a few of these Northeast hands including the NSA and Magu.”
Speaking on the issue, another source for the Nation, stated that it was a worry that the Daura situation would devolve into a revenge mission “Some of us are worried at the latest twist to the sack of the former DG of DSS. Some loyalists and a few influential kitchen cabinet members are trying to personalize the sack by fingering the NSA and Magu.
“The NSA and Magu had nothing to do with the fate of Daura. It was not a case of investigation for corruption or any financial crimes; it had to do with wrongful deployment of forces on a critical arm of government, which is the Legislature (the National Assembly).
“The vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who was then the Acting President, had told the nation that the disciplinary measure was necessary to end impunity in the country. He described the DSS operatives’ invasion of the National Assembly as ‘a gross violation of constitutional order, rule of law and accepted notions of law and order.’
“Attributing such removal to the NSA and Magu will be unfair. It is even sad that a Southwest governor is among those driving this latest initiative to achieve selfish ends.
“The vice president also stayed away from elements of bias by disallowing the NSA and the EFCC from being part of the detention and debriefing of Daura in a safe house in Abuja. The Nigeria Police and other security agencies were directed to handle Daura’s matter.
“It will be disastrous for Buhari to start his anti-corruption war afresh because the ultimate target is to make the war a failure. Some of us have been warning against these Fifth columnists who are out to bring this administration down.”