vindicated following the sack of the Director General of the
Department of State Services, DSS, Lawal Daura, over the siege
on the National Assembly.
Overtime the government and people of the state had called for
the sack of Daura as well as the Inspector General of Police, IGP
and the Minister of Defence for their ineptitude to effectively
tackle the mindless killings in the state.
Ex Director-General of Department of State Service, DSS,
Mr Lawal Daura
Just two weeks ago, when the police and DSS operatives locked
down the Benue State House of Assembly only to allow eight
lawmakers of the 30-member House access to the chamber of
the Assembly where they resolved to issue an impeachment
notice on Governor Samuel Ortom, the generality of the people
screamed blue murder pointing accusing fingers at the then DSS
boss and the IGP.
Speaking on the sack of Lawal Daura, Convener of the Middle
Belt Movement for Justice and Peace, MBMJP, Comrade Joe
Bukka said, “for me it’s a welcome development. We had
expected that he would be eased out of office because of his
many sins.
If you recall, operatives of the DSS only recently occupied the
office of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF,which was
ostensibly on the orders of the former DG, DSS because few
minutes after his ouster, operatives of the department immediate
vacated the NFF office which implied that the operation was at
his behest.
“The same act was played out during the siege on the Benue
State House of Assembly, which was a rape of democracy and a
ridicule of the sensibilities of the people of the state but he
preferred to play god irrespective of the provisions of the rule of
law.
“We expect the Federal Government to take the action farther.
We actually expected the government to ease out the IGP and the
Minister of Defence if they want us to be convinced and also to
restore our confidence in the security architecture of this country.
“We have taken this position because the comments of the
Defence Minister and IGP on the Benue killings are still fresh on
our minds and if the duo are not relieved of their positions, we
will continue to doubt the sincerity of the Federal Government on
the matter.”
“In as much as we want to remain objective in our reactions, we
would want to know who ordered the police and DSS to occupy
the Benue Assembly which President Buhari openly denied
knowledge of.
“The fact that the Benue Assembly complex was also occupied
like the National Assembly is enough justification to sack the IGP
who in connivance with the state’s Police Commissioner aided
eight lawmakers, in a House of 30 members, to take possession
of the chamber to plot an impeachment move on the State
Governor.”
“Natural Justice demands that these other people should also be
eased out of office because anything short of that would be
deemed an opaque Justice.
“In the same vein we expected that the head of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC! Ibrahim Magu should be
relieved of his position.
“A man who unilaterally allegedly decided to freeze the bank
accounts of a state government, but for the general outcry that
trailed that action, should be kicked out, at least as a face saving
measure because the world and lovers of democracy across the
globe watched with much surprise and disdain that singular
action of iron cast impunity,” Bukka added.
Reacting to the sack of the DSS boss, Governor Samuel Ortom
through his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, described it as a
step in the right direction stressing that the sack was long
expected, following the manner Mr. Daura ran the Service.
“I urge the Presidency to also look into operations of other
security agencies to save the country from the current wave of
impunity,” He stated
On his party, the National President of the Benue Youths Forum,
BYF, Terrence Kuanum said “the police did little to check the
menace of herdsmen in Benue. Even when the President ordered
the IGP to relocate to Benue to effectively take charge of the
situation, he disobeyed that order but took pleasure in ordering
the occupation of Benue state House of Assembly.
“We also expect that aside the head of the DSS, the head of the
EFCC, the IGP and Minister of Defence who failed to hold their
own when it mattered most during the Benue killings should be
eased out of office.
Similarly, a former federal lawmaker and Convener of the Benue
Women Forum Mrs. Rebecca Apedzan said, “at my age if I am
shy in talking about issues affecting Nigeria and Benue in
particular it will be bad of me because I am old enough to speak
the truth.
“It is like we do not have security apparatus in Nigeria. I don’t
want to go back to trace what has been happening between
Benue state, other states and the security apparatus.
“This is a security body that is meant to protect the people, but
they are not concerned about all that have been happening. I
have always said that we do not have security in this country.
“The security chiefs have overstayed their welcome, some of
them are due for retirement but the President asked them to stay
on. I don’t know the value they are adding to the service or could
it be that the other people who were supposed to take over from
them were not trained or that when these people die the offices
would close up?
“Constitutionally these people have overstayed and he said they
should stay on but look at what the Police and the soldiers are
doing. They have so many policemen to lockdown the National
Assembly, they have so many policemen to lock up the Senate
President’s house but the IGP said they were overwhelmed by the
security situation in the country, although they are not
overwhelmed in running and harassing people about.
“When they created a blockage of the Benue Assembly and
allowed eight members in to carry out an unconstitutional act
they had enough men. In fact the Benue’s case was worst than
what they did at the National Assembly.
“In that instance, they blocked 22 members and allowed eight
members into the chamber of the House to deliberate while the
other 22 were locked out.
“But in the case of the National Assembly everyone was not
allowed entry. Nobody said anything about the Benue case. But I
am very happy that the Acting President is living up to
expectations.
“I think he has realized that his reputation as a lawyer, a pastor
and a Vice President was at stake and he is doing the needful
now. I just hope that the President would come back and
remember to continue where this man has stopped.
“The sack of the DG DSS was welcomed by all Nigerians and the
IGP should also be the next. He should have gone long ago. What
is he doing there but to harass people, intimidate people but
meanwhile he cannot do his job. They cannot stop the killings,
they cannot stop the kidnappings, they cannot check armed
robbery and cultism but they have enough policemen to police
state governments and the opposition.
“They are all politicians. It is so sad to think that this kind of
thing is happening in a Nigeria of today in the year 2018.
“Now the EFCC is another arm, they went to freeze the accounts
of Benue state government on the grounds that they were
probing security votes. Where on earth have you heard they were
probing security votes. They were probing a Governor because of
security vote particularly a state where there was so much
security challenge and the governor was running all over the
place to have the matter taken care of, so sad.
“Since January we have mammoth crowd in the IDP camps who
have nowhere to go to. Herdsmen are still lurking around in the
corners, as I speak with you they just killed two of my uncles in
the farm. If they meet anyone in the farm they would kill, but the
police were not able to stop that.
“I am very happy that Daura was removed, he was long overdue
for that but there are many more to follow, and I am waiting to
see that happens. I hail the Acting President and believe that as a
knowledgeable person he would continue to do the right thing
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