A few days ago, the presidency denied allegations that Department of State Service operatives were ordered out of the Aso villa.
However, according to a Vanguard report yesterday, June 25, DSS personnel will cease to provide close body protection to the president and men from the Nigerian army and police who are trained for that specific purpose will take over from them.
The report says that the ADC to the president, Lt. Col Abubakar Lawal, ordered the DSS personnel out of the villa and replaced them with men of the Nigerian army.
In the wake of that, Femi Adesina, the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, said: “President Muhammadu Buhari has given no such order. While it is true that a reorganization of security at the Presidential Villa which involves the realignment of personnel from various services is underway, the exercise does not translate to the expulsion of DSS personnel from the premises in any way. The changes being made are routine adjustments which are not unexpected in any dynamic environment from time to time.”
Vanguard also sighted a memo written by the president’s ADC, which reads that the decision to withdraw the DSS men and replace them with Nigerian army and policemen was based on directives.
The memo has about seven areas where the military and the police will take over from the DSS men with immediate effect.
Some of the no-go areas for men of the DSS, according to the memo include Admin reception/passage, Service Chiefs gate, residence reception, office reception among others.
It, however, noted that “personnel of the DSS in conjunction with other security forces are to man other duty beats/locations within the immediate outer perimeter of the Presidential Villa.”
From 1999 till the recent incident, it was the DSS that provided close body protection and manned sensitive positions within the villa while soldiers and the police manned the outer part of the State House.
Already, the memo appears to have taken effect as some DSS operatives were seen at the outer parts of the Presidential Villa as military men in mufti, yesterday, took over all the other positions inside the Presidential Villa.
It was learnt that senior officers of the DSS and the CSO to the President were trying to resolve the issue.
The president’s first assignment when he resumed at Aso Rock on Monday was to meet with the service chiefs.