‘How Daura Took Bribe, Betrayed His Country’

An emerging report has indicated that the sacked Director-General of DSS, Lawal Daura, allegedly took bribe on several occasions and betrayed President Muhammadu Buhari before he eventually met his waterloo on Tuesday.

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, had ordered the immediate dismissal of Mr Daura after some masked DSS operatives said to be acting on “orders from above” besieged the National Assembly and prevented some federal lawmakers from entering the premises.

Following his dismissal, Daura’s former ally, according to an exclusive report by Premium Times, has accused the former DSS boss of committing several unprintable offences against Nigeria and what President Buhari stands for.

The former ally, Abdulwahab Abdulrahman, who previously worked as Daura’s assistant, alleged that the sacked DSS boss was notorious for taking bribes while he was at the agency’s helm of affairs.

Abdulrahman told the newspaper that one of the major reasons why he resigned his job with the Daura-led DSS was so as not to end up in prison because of corruption.
“I didn’t want my children to see news of my eventual arrest on TV,” said the aide who worked with Daura until 2016.

He said, “I noticed immediately we started work that for Lawal Daura it is simply about the money,” adding that “In one of earlier meetings he suggested that we should request for one billion to start work. Where will Buhari see one billion to give us?” he asked.

Recalling how Daura became DSS DG, Abdulrahman said: “He was introduced to the president by the late Senator Mustapha Bukar.”

“When he was appointed, he kept putting pressure on me and Maikano, the current AO (admin officer) at the presidential villa, to come and work with him as SA. He assured me that what I will get under him, I cannot get even as a minister,” Mr Abdulrahman said, adding that the ex-DSS DG was never President Buhari’s choice for the job because of his “antecedents” but was forced to pick him on Mamman Daura’s request.

Abdulrahman continued, “He (Daura) said he wants the two of us to stabilise the service for him,” adding that “Daura was receiving money from everyone including the president’s enemies” immediately he became the DG.

He said, “What are we doing was mostly: receiving Ghana must go filled with cash brought by enemies of government to him.

“The rate of corruption on that fourth floor was too much and the president doesn’t deserve this,” he said. “He will go and get information on plans for (Senate president) Bukola (Saraki) and then leak it to him.”

Abdulrahman also recalled an instance where Daura was sacked from the Service for allegedly stealing diesel at the Kaduna SSS Academy before President Buhari reengaged him as DSS DG: “Before then, he was almost sacked when he was State Director in Lagos. Tinubu, who was governor, donated 20 vehicles to aid the work of the service in the state; Fashola, who is minister now, was the Chief of Staff at the time, Lawal Daura took all the vehicles to Kano and sold them off.

“Just like today, how they had to use the back door to ferry him away, don’t you wonder why he was not taken back to the service facility? He wouldn’t have survived it. I have been receiving calls all day from some of our top directors and staff, everyone is in a joyous mood today.

“In fact, a director told me that all his life, he never drank beer, but today, he will drink to celebrate how this service is finally saved from destruction,” he said.
The ex-DSS DG’s former aide added that, “Whenever the Vice President calls for a meeting for 2 o’clock Daura will cone by 3 and will not apologise. There was a time they had serious shouting match with Magu over the disrespect shown to the VP and the VP had to ask Magu to keep quiet.”