There is disquiet in the department of State Security Service (SSS)
following mass dismissal and retirement of personnel perceived to be
partisan, corrupt or on collision course with the present leadership of
the service.
In a sweeping retrenchment Tuesday, the SSS sacked
dozens of personnel including the former spokesperson of the service,
Marilyn Ogar, and the former Chief Security Officers (CSOs) to President
Muhammadu Buhari and former President Goodluck Jonathan, Abdulrahman
Mani and Gordon Obua respectively.
Other prominent personnel
affected by the mass lay-off are Liman Widi, Yomi Zamba, Little John
Okojie, Ahmed Abdullahi, Ibrahim Katsina, Larry Obiagwu, Abdulganiyu
Dauda, Dahiru Dodo, Suleiman Dabo, among others.
A notice for
retirement issued to the affected staffers with a title: “Retirement
From Service”, read, “Following the on-going re-organisation in the
Service, be informed that that your services are no longer required in
the Department of State Security Service (DSS). You are therefore,
retired from Service under Section 8 Rule 020806(II) of the Public
Service Rules, 2006 wef 31st August, 2015″.
The notice, obtained by
PREMIUM TIMES, continued: “In view of the foregoing, you are hereby
directed to immediately render all Government property under your care,
including Service Warrant Card, to your immediate Sectional
Head/Director and obtain necessary clearance.”
While expressing
the DG’s best wishes to the affected officers, the notification said
“You are also to liaise with the Directorate of Administration,
Personnel Department and Pension Department to conclude the necessary
formalities for disengagement and payments of benefits.”
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr. Obua is one of the staff challenging his dismissal by the service.
Speaking
through his lawyer, Andrew Itsekiri, Mr. Obua said he would challenge
the decision of the SSS in court, as the service failed to establish
anything incriminating against him when he was detained and quizzed over
alleged corruption.
Other affected officers who spoke with our
reporter also cried foul over the service’s decision, saying their
retirement or dismissal were borne out of malice than “on-going
re-organisation in the Service”.
One affected officer who spoke
to PREMIUM TIMES on the condition of anonymity said he was neither
queried nor invited for questioning before his compulsory retirement.
“I
have five years to retire. But suddenly I was sent on compulsory
retirement without ever being queried or investigated for any
wrongdoing,” he said.
Another officer who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES
also faulted the service’s decision to sack him without violating either
the service code or being invited for questioning over any wrong-doing.
The
officer, who also preferred anonymity, argued that there was ulterior
motive behind the mass retirement as it was targeted at “some specific
staff”.
He accused the new Director General, Lawal Daura, of
being on a “revenge mission”, saying Mr. Daura was targeting personnel
he bore malice against before his (Daura’s) recall from retirement. “We
will challenge this injustice in court,” he vowed.
Security sources
said the mass retirement and dismissal were also discriminatory as some
officers who committed offices liable for outright dismissal were
retired instead.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that one of the affected
officers went on Absence Without Leave (AWOL) for weeks with a service
pistol, which he did not sign for, but was sent on retirement instead of
outright dismissal.
“The offense is liable for dismissal. But
because of favouritism, he was retired with full benefits, while others
who did not commit any clear offence were dismissed from service. This
is sheer injustice,” said the officer.
PREMIUM TIMES could not reach Mr. Daura for comment as he did not respond to calls to his mobile phone number.
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