Saraki says sack of DSS DG is damage control

Senate President Bukola Saraki has described the sack of Lawal Daura, director-general of Department of State Services (DSS), as damage control.

On Tuesday, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) prevented lawmakers from entering the national assembly.

The lawmakers were allowed in after a protest and Daura was sacked for the incident by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

But speaking with journalists at the national assembly on Wednesday, Saraki said though the decision of Osinbajo to fire Daura was commendable, it had not addressed “the question of how this atrocity happened in the first place”.

“I thank the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, for his handling of the situation we were all confronted with yesterday. His decisive action went a long way towards restoring confidence. It sent a powerful message – that the DSS cannot be recklessly deployed against institutions of our democracy,” he said.

“The path of leadership is not by party, and we must commend it wherever it is found. Mr. Acting President did the right thing. However, the damage control so far does not address the question of how this atrocity happened in the first place.

“This is an incident concerning which we have it on good authority that it has been in the planning for months, and yet it was allowed to happen. How is it that such an atrocity was not prevented? How is it that the masterminds were not deterred? Very serious questions remain that can only be answered by a full investigation.

“We call for an investigation, and we demand that all perpetrators are brought to book. We owe it to ourselves to ensure that such a situation never occurs again. Many agencies have abused their powers and acted outside the ambit of the law on occasion. Where abuses occur, similar actions must be taken immediately and full investigation instituted.”

He said the blockade at the national assembly was not the change they fought.

“I must say that when we fought for change, we could not have envisaged a scenario such as unfolded yesterday – an atmosphere where people cannot tolerate dissent, or mere differences of opinion as to the future of our dear country,” Saraki said.

“This is not the change we fought for. We did not fight for instruments of state to be used to oppress Nigerians and their lawmakers. I know that I, certainly, did not fight just so the legislature could be undermined and subjected to this onslaught.”