President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday fired his Chief Security Officer, Abdulrahman Mani, and requested the State Security Service to redeploy him out of the presidential villa.
The presidency has yet to officially announce the development, but our correspondent learnt that Mani has since been replaced by Bashir Abubakar, who, until his appointment was an assistant director in the Bayelsa state command of the SSS.
Mani has in turn been redeployed to the Ebonyi state command of the SSS, our sources said.
Sources familiar with the matter said that the president ordered Mr. Mani removed following repeated complaints that he was blocking people with genuine appointments from having access to the President.
Mani first angered Buhari, according to Presidency sources, when he engaged the president’s aide-de-camp, Mohammed Abubakar, in what appeared a power struggle.
Abubakar, a Lieutenant Colonel, had issued a memo ordering personnel of the State Security Service out of inner Aso Rock and restricting them to guarding the “outer perimeter” of the presidential villa, saying personnel of the Armed Forces and the police, trained as Presidential Body Guards (PBGs), are to “provide close/immediate protection for Mr. President henceforth”.
Abubakar said SSS operatives should steer clear of areas such as “Admin Reception, Service Chiefs Gate, Residence Reception, Rear Resident, Resident Gate, Office Reception, C-In-C Control Office, ACADE Gate, C-IN-C Control Gate and Panama”.
“However, the personnel of the DSS in conjunction with other security forces are to man other duty beats/locations located within the immediate outer perimeter of the Presidential Villa,” he said, without providing reasons for the action.
But in a June 26 response to Abubakar, Mani, rejected the directive and gave a counter order asking his colleagues to disregard the spirit, intent and content of Abubakar’s circular.
Mani, who pointedly accused the ADC of grandstanding, overzealousness, limited knowledge and outright display of ignorance, insisted that Abubakar’s circular “grossly misrepresents” President Buhari’s directive, without saying what the President’s exact directive is.
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