CSO revokes ADC’s order to DSS officials over Buhar protection

Firstclass newsline gathered thath President Muhammadu Buhari's Chief
Security Officer, Abdulrahman Mani, has revoked the order by the
Aide-De-Camp to the President, Lt.-Col. Lawal Abubakar, removing
operatives of the Department of State Services from giving Buhari
close body protection.
Mani, in a memo countermanding the ADC's order, said the DSS
operatives should disregard the directive by Abubakar. He said the
order was a misrepresentation of Buhari's directive.
Buhari's ADC had on Wednesday last week issued a memo redeploying the
DSS officials from 10 beats that they had hitherto manned inside the
Presidential villa, explaining that the decision to strip the DSS
officials of their traditional roles was part of efforts to enhance
general security within the villa.
He also claimed that the development was necessitated by "recent
events," which he did not disclose.
The ADC consequently directed personnel of the Armed Forces and the
Nigeria Police to take over the DSS officials' duties of providing
"close/immediate protection" for the President with immediate effect.
But in a June 26, 2015, memo by the CSO, a copy of which was obtained
by our correspondent on Sunday, Mani directed the DSS officials to
disregard the ADC's order, saying the duties being performed by the
DSS personnel in the Presidential villa were backed by relevant
statutes and gazetted instruments.
These roles, he added, included close body protection of the President
in line with standard operational procedures and international best
practices.
He cited Section 2(I )(ii) of Instrument No.SSS 1 of May 23, 1999 made
pursuant to Section 6 of the National Security Agencies Decree of
1986, which has been re-enacted as Section 6 of NSA Act CAP N74 LFN
2004.
He said the law empowered personnel of the DSS to provide protective
security for designated principal government functionaries.
The functionaries, he said, included but not limited to the President
and Vice President as well as members of their immediate families.
He said the law also mandates the DSS to provide protective security
for sensitive installations such as the Presidential Villa and
visiting foreign dignitaries.
The CSO said it was for that reason that personnel of the DSS near the
President were carefully selected and properly trained and that
background checks were constantly carried out on them to confirm their
suitability and loyalty.
Mani said the issues raised in the ADC's memo suggested that he
ventured into an unfamiliar terrain.
The CSO's memo read, "In fact, the issues raised in the aforementioned
(ADC's) circular tend to suggest that the author may have ventured
into a not-too-familiar terrain.
"The extant practice, the world over, is that VIP protection, which is
a specialised field, is usually handled by the Secret Service, under
whatever nomenclature.
"They usually constitute the inner core security ring around every
principal. The Police and the military by training and mandate are
often required to provide secondary and tertiary security cordons
around venues and routes.
"However, all other security agencies, including the army, the police
and others, also have their roles to play. It is on this note that
heads of all security agencies currently in the Presidential Villa and
their subordinates are enjoined to key into the existing command and
control structure. They are to work in harmony with each other in full
and strict compliance with the demands of their statutorily prescribed
responsibilities.
"Meanwhile, joint training programmes and other incentives will be
worked out in the days ahead to ensure that all security personnel at
the Presidential Villa are properly educated to understand their
statutory roles and responsibilities.
"This is with a view to avoiding obvious grandstanding,
overzealousness, limited knowledge or outright display of ignorance in
future."
Mani asked all the unit and departmental heads to bring the content of
his memo to the attention of all personnel for compliance.
He copied the National Security Adviser; the Chief of Defence Staff
and the Director-General of DSS.
A source however told our correspondent on Sunday that although the
CSO's directive had been widely circulated, it has yet to take effect
as the military men drafted to replace the DSS officials were still at
their beats.
The source however introduced another dimension when he blamed a top
DSS official in the Presidential Villa for the confrontation.
He claimed that trouble started when the official ordered that
soldiers should be blocked from residence reception.
Infuriated by that action, he said the soldiers contacted the ADC who
became angry and vowed to report to the President.
"Before that incident, the soldiers have been cooperative and
well-behaved. The situation we find ourselves is painful but it is
also avoidable," the source added.
A security expert, Mike Ejiofor, had told our correspondent in an
interview on Friday that the ADC's directive could not stand because
it could not be backed by law.
The Presidency had in a statement by the Special Adviser to the
President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, on Wednesday, said
Buhari had not given any order for the expulsion of the DSS officials
from the Presidential Villa.
Adesina however admitted that a reorganisation of security at the seat
of power was underway
Firstclassnewsline.net