Despite a substantive court injunction, officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday invaded the residence of former Director General of the service, Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (rtd).
By the end of the day, most of Are’s personal effects had been moved out.
DAILY POST gathered that the new Director-General of DSS, Lawal Musa Daura, upon assumption of office wrote personally to Are, asking him to vacate the Ikoyi residence for reasons not stated.
The residence in question, No 50 Alezander, Ikoyi, was officially given to Are when he was DSS Director.
Refusing to vacate the premises as instructed, he was put under house arrest by the DSS.
Our correspondent, who visited the house at about 6:40pm, noticed armed operatives of the DSS keeping watch.
It was also observed that Are’s personal belongings were being removed from the house.
Journalists, who had gone to witness the eviction, were turned back.
Those at the gate told DAILY POST that the personnel arrived earlier in the day, with an order that nobody should come close to the house.
Our correspondent was chased away for taking photographs in the house.
Are, a retired Nigerian Army Colonel, served as an officer in the Directorate of Military Intelligence until his retirement by General Sani Abacha.
He was appointed as DSS boss by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He served in that position throughout President Obasanjo’s two terms (1999-2007), and was replaced by Afakiriya Gadzama, who was appointed in August 2007 by President Umaru Yar’Adua.
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