By David Odekanle
Following the recent sack of Abdulrahman Iman as the chief security officer cso of the President for allegedly leaking the President’s itinerary, President Mohammadu Buhari has appointed Bashir Abubakar as the new CSO to the president while Mani has been redeployed to Ebonyi state.
Abubakar was until now an assistant director in the Bayelsa state command of the Department of State Service
(DSS).
Mani was shown the exit door over what is described as “shady deals” in fixing appointments and for “undermining” the president’s value. Presidency sources said Mani committed various misdemeanours, “chief among which was a recent discovery that he was actually the one who leaked Buhari’s itinerary to Diezani Alison-Madueke when he travelled to London in May”.Alison-Madueke, the then minister of petroleum resources, had surprisingly travelled on the same British Airways flight with Buhari, sitting in the same cabin and right behind the thenpresident-elect.
The former minister normally flew private jets in and outside the country and her presence on the flight wasnot considered a coincidence.It was alleged that she wanted to curry the favour of Buhari following a series of allegations of corruption against her, although her aides denied the claim, maintaining that she was on a private trip for her son’s graduation.
Investigations also revealed that Mani has been actively underminingthe president, working against every value the president upholds and conducting himself in such a manner as to suggest that he is out to pull down the president,” the source said.
Prior to his sack, Mani had been engaged in a battle of supremacy with the ADC to the president, Mohammed Abubakar, a lieutenant colonel by giving a counter directive to Abubakar issued memo had earlier barred DSS personnel from certain locations inside the presidential villa.
Mani, DSS officer himself was perhaps unaware that Abubakar was carrying out the president’s instructions, while issuing a counter circular directing the DSS personnel to disregard the order and saying that the relevant statutes give DSS the responsibility of close protection for the president.
“However, all other security agencies including the army, the police and others have their roles to play. It is on this note that heads of all security agencies currently in the Presidential Villa and their subordinates are enjoined to key into the existing command and control structure. They are to work in harmony with each other in full and strict compliance with the demands of their statutory prescribed responsibilities.” Buhari had become uncomfortable with the DSS for their perceived partisanship before the general election and consequently Ita Ekpeyong resigned as the DG of DSS on Thursday amid reports that he was forced out, while Lawan Daura was appointed to replace him in an acting capacity. But in an effort to get the reactions of The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, on the developments, He responded that all enquiries on the matter be directed to the State Security Service.“I don’t speak on security matters, so you may have to ask the SSS,” Mr. Adesina.
