NASS siege: Revelations emerge as ex-DSS DG, Daura opens up

The sacked Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, has finally spoken on his ordeal.

In new details which emerged on Wednesday, Daura was quoted as making three declarations: (i) That he took all actions in national interest through a collective responsibility, including involvement of principal officers of sister agencies; (ii) that he acted on a higher authority which he relied on to deploy agents at the National Assembly; (iii) that the report submitted by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Idris Ibrahim was totally incorrect.

In his interim investigation report submitted to the then Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, the IGP noted that Daura confessed that he deployed hooded operatives to the National Assembly complex based on intelligence report that unauthorized persons were planning to smuggle in dangerous weapons and incriminating items.

“The former Director-General, Department of State Services, DSS, Lawal Daura, acted unilaterally, without informing the Presidency. He did not share or intimate other Security Agencies on the unlawful operations”, Idris wrote in the report.

Osinbajo, who was in acting capacity while President Muhammadu Buhari was in London, fired Daura earlier in August.

The sack followed the seige which sparked outrage across the country and abroad.

Relaying Daura’s side of the story, one of his confidants told PRNigeria, that the sacked official lamented that neither was he given query over any issue nor indicted on his handling of affairs of the service until his sack.

The source said: “While the former DSS boss has not officially handed over up till now, his house both in Asokoro and Gwarinpa were thoroughly searched in the night and nothing incriminating were found, and all items found including necklace, praying mat, CDs, ATM card, women bags, documents and receipts have been duly returned to him accordingly.”

The source also stated that when Daura was invited by Osinbajo for the security briefing, he quickly rushed out and left some of his personal belonging including phones in the office.

The Daura-born ex-security chief disclosed that when he was whisked away and eventually sacked, he did not know his offence.

“Daura has been completely demoralised by the wide spread insinuations of working for the opposition when he took daring moves to protect the Presidency and the ruling party against the antics of the powerful opposition elements. The allegation of being a mole is utter balderdash!

“Spymasters all over the world can be sacrificed but not to the extent of rubbishing their integrity and reputation on the altar of political considerations, especially a spymaster created by the same system, considering the delicate and sensitive nature of intelligent services.”

According to the source, more revelations about the NASS saga and the surrounding events will unfold in the weeks ahead.