Military to take over Aso Rock

Ahead of the relocation of President Muhammadu
Buhari to the Presidential Villa, arrangements have been
concluded for the Nigerian military to take over the
activities of the Strike Force, The PUNCH has learnt.
The Strike Force, which is a special security outfit
saddled with the responsibility of protecting the
President and the seat of power, is currently comprising
only officials of the Department of State Services.
A top Presidency official, who pleaded anonymity, told
our correspondent on Tuesday that soldiers might take
over their responsibility very soon.
The source said a Lieutenant who will be leading 21
other military personnel had already been transferred to
the Strike Force with an instruction to take over from
the DSS officials.
He said, “DSS officials are the ones that have been
serving in the Strike Force. “With this development
military personnel will take over from them henceforth.
“We are aware that the situation is causing a palpable
tension as there is a possibility of a showdown. But we
are working hard to ensure that the situation did not
degenerate.”
Operatives attached to the Strike Force are always
trained abroad on counter-assault and other techniques
aimed at making their jobs easier.
In explaining their duties, the source said its operatives
were the ones former President Olusegun Obasanjo
erroneously referred to as snippers in his widely-
publicised open letter to former President Goodluck
Jonathan.
Another official, who is aware of the arrangement, also
said that machinery had also been put in place to
change the new Presidential Villa’s Administrative
Officer, who was deployed by the DSS about two weeks
ago and replaced with a military officer.
He said all DSS officials currently serving inside the
Presidential Villa were not sure of their fate yet.
“The truth is that we are not sure of anything yet.
Whichever way, we will only act based on signals from
our headquarters whether to leave or remain inside the
Villa,” he said.
Meanwhile, a major disagreement broke out on Friday
between DSS officials drafted from the Presidential
Villa, Abuja to the National Mosque, Abuja and some
officials of a private security firm.
The PUNCH had reported last week that DSS officials
were having a running battle with officials of the
security outfit who were reported to have been securing
Buhari before he was inaugurated as the President on
May 29.
Their two earlier encounters in the same mosque were
settled amicably with officials of the firm asked to leave
the premises for DSS officials.
Our correspondent, however, learnt that trouble started
again last Friday when DSS officials also sighted the
officials of the private firm in the mosque.
A source claimed that trouble started when one of the
officials of the firm was asked to identify himself.
“The DSS officials had asked the private guard to
identify himself. One thing led to the other and the
private guard was said to have held the necktie of one
of the operatives. That led to a fisticuffs. It took the
timely intervention of senior officers for the situation to
be brought under control,” the source said.