Why Buhari Is Rejecting SSS Services

The recent order by President Muhammadu Buhari that has sent operatives of the State Security Service out of the inner palace of the presidential home is a result of concerns by Buhari that the SSS has become excessively politicised and could
easily compromise his security.

This was revealed to reporters by sources close to the president, they said: “The President believes that the officers of the service were deeply involved in high-wire brazen politicking prior to the 2015 election and they can be easily compromised for a mess of porridge.”

The source said Mr. Buhari believe the SSS, shouldn’t be trusted with any serious assignment until it is “thoroughly reformed and reorganised”.
“Most of those at the helms of the agency today are the same people who openly demonstrated hatred for the president and his party,” another presidential insider said. “Buhari is human and he cannot allow a bunch of opposition politicians in SSS garb to come close to him.”

One source revealed that Buhari believes that the leadership of the SSS still remain loyal to the former administration.

“Anyone with ulterior motive could take advantage of the weakness in the service for negative purposes,” a presidential aide said.
A top SSS official addressed the issue and said that the former president took care of  the people who were loyal to him.
“President Jonathan caused the promotion of those who were loyal to him, some did not even sit for promotion examinations. Many of them were not yet due for promotion. But they were arbitrarily rewarded. Some people was hurriedly deployed to sensitive positions and this might be a bobby trap for the president,” he said.

Days before his exit, no fewer than 45 officers of the SSS, including its spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, a move which was hurriedly undertaken by the Director General of the SSS, Ita Ekpenyong and rushed to Mr. Jonathan for approval in anticipation of his exit on May 29.

A source at the Villa said Mr. Buhari was fully in the know of all that transpired at the time and had waited patiently to act.
“The President feels that SSS personnel should not be close to him until proper reorganization is carried out,” he said.
Division, anger among officers.

Mr. Buhari’s Aide de Camp, Mohammed Abubakar, on June 24 had issued a memo telling all key officials in the Villa that  “DSS personnel have been redeployed from some duty beats/locations”.
The memo made it clear that the major security tasks initially being handled by SSS officials are now to be handled by officials of other security agencies.