A former military Governor of Kaduna State, Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd), has expressed fear that the sacked Director General of Department for State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, may constitute a threat to Nigeria’s democracy, if the Federal Government fails to investigate him.
Colonel Umar said Daura had in the last three years of leading the DSS created for himself, “a government within a government in Nigeria.”
The former governor, in a statement yesterday, said Daura’s sack is not enough, but must be investigated in the interest of the country’s democracy.
He said the probe should cover the whereabouts, as well as the condition of all the assets handed over to him by the immediate past D-G, SS, Mr. Ita Ekpeyong.
He said:”Without a doubt, the summary dismissal, last week, of Alhaji Lawal Daura, Director-General, Department of State Services, 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 official code of behaviour.
“But on Tuesday, 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 manoeuvres, 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, DSS, Mr. Ita Ekpeyong? (II) What are the reasons why Lawal Daura deployed SS operatives and prevented EFCC personnel from searching the residences of Mr. Ekpenyong and former D-G, NIA, Mr Oke? (III) What is the explanation for the raid on the farm belonging to Ibrahim Magu, Chairman, EFCC, whose raid led to loss of live? (IV) Was it not true that Lawal Daura moved to seize and appropriate over forty 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 send 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?”
