Mr Bashir Abubakar has been removed as President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief Security Officer. Mr Idris Kazeem Ahmed will now act in his place..
According to Punch, Abubakar will be proceeding on strategic course at the National Defence University (Fadena), Buenos Aires, Argentina as a safe-facing measure.
Security source said DSS authorities had directed that the changes should take immediate effect.
It was further learnt that the Administrative Officer of the Presidential Villa, Abubakar Maikano, had also been directed to stand in, any time the new CSO is not available.
This is the second time Buhari’s CSO will be replaced since his assumption of office in May 2015.
His first CSO, Abdulrahman Mani, was removed in July 2015 and was replaced with Abubakar.
Abubakar was said to have become a one-man cabal that had become too powerful to the detriment of the interest of the Buhari’s Presidency.
Another presidential source said the removed CSO was almost sacked but for the intervention of some of the friends of the President
Some powerful people were said to have complained about his activities.
For example, it was gathered that Abubakar stopped some friends of the President from gaining access to him and was also said to be rude to the current Director-General of the DSS, Yusuf Bichi.
The source said, “I think he was power-drunk. He allowed the position he occupied to enter his head and felt that he got the position by promotion. He was rude and even was responsible for the non-accreditation of some media house at the Villa.
“He talked down on people and even friends of the President had complained bitterly about him.
“He had also had issues with the current DG of the DSS. So, his cup was full. The course is just a face-saving measure.”