Military to take charge of Aso Rock’s Strike Force

Firstclass newsline learnt that ahead of the relocation of President
Muhammadu Buhari to the Presidential Villa, arrangements have been
concluded for the Nigerian military to take over the activities of the
Strike Force.
The Strike Force, which is a special security outfit saddled with the
responsibility of protecting the President and the seat of power, is
currently comprising only officials of the Department of State
Services.
A top Presidency official, who pleaded anonymity, told a source on
Tuesday that soldiers might take over their responsibility very soon.
The source said a Lieutenant who will be leading 21 other military
personnel had already been transferred to the Strike Force with an
instruction to take over from the DSS officials.
He said, "DSS officials are the ones that have been serving in the
Strike Force. "With this development military personnel will take over
from them henceforth.
"We are aware that the situation is causing a palpable tension as
there is a possibility of a showdown. But we are working hard to
ensure that the situation did not degenerate."
Operatives attached to the Strike Force are always trained abroad on
counter-assault and other techniques aimed at making their jobs
easier.
In explaining their duties, the source said its operatives were the
ones former President Olusegun Obasanjo erroneously referred to as
snippers in his widely-publicised open letter to former President
Goodluck Jonathan.
Another official, who is aware of the arrangement, also said that
machinery had also been put in place to change the new Presidential
Villa's Administrative Officer, who was deployed by the DSS about two
weeks ago and replaced with a military officer.
He said all DSS officials currently serving inside the Presidential
Villa were not sure of their fate yet.
"The truth is that we are not sure of anything yet. Whichever way, we
will only act based on signals from our headquarters whether to leave
or remain inside the Villa," he said.
Meanwhile, a major disagreement broke out on Friday between DSS
officials drafted from the Presidential Villa, Abuja to the National
Mosque, Abuja and some officials of a private security firm.
A source reported last week that DSS officials were having a running
battle with officials of the security outfit who were reported to have
been securing Buhari before he was inaugurated as the President on May
29.
Their two earlier encounters in the same mosque were settled amicably
with officials of the firm asked to leave the premises for DSS
officials.
Firstclass newsline, learnt that trouble started again last Friday
when DSS officials also sighted the officials of the private firm in
the mosque.
A source claimed that trouble started when one of the officials of the
firm was asked to identify himself.
"The DSS officials had asked the private guard to identify himself.
One thing led to the other and the private guard was said to have held
the necktie of one of the operatives. That led to a fisticuffs. It
took the timely intervention of senior officers for the situation to
be brought under control," the source said.
Firstclassnewsline.net