The Department of of State Services has detained Gordon Obua, the Chief Security Officer to former President Goodluck Jonathan, and searched the home of Bello Fadile, a close confidant of former National Secuirty Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
It was learnt that Obua was arrested last Thursday arrested and detained at the DSS headquarters in Abuja, the same day the residences former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, was raided by the security agents.
It was further learnt that DSS ( better known as SSS) agents extended their search to Fadile’s home on Friday evening.
According to reports, the detention of Jonathan’s CSO is part of the probe of officials under Jonathan’s administration ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari with a view to recovering public money stolen by the officials of the administration.
President Buhari had said severally that much of the county’s resources were flagrantly stolen under the administration, promising to recover them.
It was not clear why Obua was detained but reports indicate that the that security agents may be working to extract information on key officials in Jonathan’s government from the former CSO.
Messrs. Dasuki and Fadile were placed under house arrest by the Service Thursday and released late Friday.
Mr. Fadile was visiting Mr. Sambo on Thursday evening when SSS operatives forced their way into the former NSA’s home in the Asokoro District of Abuja and placed all occupants under house arrest.
According to the reports, after the arrest order on Mr. Dasuki was lifted, the SSS operatives threw Mr. Fadile into one of their vehicles, after which they searched his home.
It is unclear what the SSS officials were looking for.
Mr. Fadile served as director in charge of special duties when Mr. Sambo held sway as NSA.
But a source familiar with the SSS operation told Premium Times that “after searching the house, they took away a computer hard drive from Fadile’s personal computer and promised to return it as soon as they are through with it”.
While they were under house arrest, the SSS agents took away all vehicles found at Mr. Dasuki’s home, including that of Mr. Fadile.
The operatives promised to return his vehicle to him “as soon as investigations are concluded”.
It is not clear what the agency is investigating Mr. Fadile for, and detectives didn’t say why they arrested him, and later raided his home.
The Director General of the Service, Lawal Daura, had earlier on Friday said he was not aware of any siege to or arrest of anyone by the SSS.
Sambo Dasuki and Bello Fadile were known back during the military era as the “IBB Boys”.
Sources said that the action of the agents on the two key security officials of the immediate past government was the beginning of a far-reaching action plan of the incumbent government to crack down on corrupt officials under Jonathan. It was learnt that it wont’t be long before it is extended to some ex-ministers.
The DSS had last Thursday moved against the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, seized his passport and other vital documents and prevented him from leaving the house for about 24 hours. Findings indicated that many more former officials would be visited and arrested by the DSS which has been mandated by Buhari to recover all looted public funds by the previous government functionaries.
The DSS could not be reached for comment as it has not announced a replacement for its former spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, who was removed from the agency’s Public Relations Department last week. But a former Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav, said Obua might have breached a security regulation hence his arrest and detention, noting that nobody is above the law. He said, “Security is the most important thing in a nation and if he (Obua) had breached a law, he could be arrested and detained. If his former boss (Jonathan), had immunity while in office, he doesn’t have immunity. So, he must have done something wrong for them to have arrested him, I think they (DSS) are in order.
The Rainbow, with agency reports
