Barely three weeks into the new All Progressives Congress, APC, administration in Niger State, two newly appointed aides directly under the Governor (names withheld) publicly exchanged blows within the Government House. As if that show of shame was not enough, similar and more disgraceful scenarios have been unfolding in the same seat of power.
Rather too frequently, there had been exchange of angry words between top political appointees, between security agents and politicians, with press men sometimes getting involved in the ensuing fracas in the course of their normal routine assignments. Also not rare are burst ups between security agents.
The latest and most embarrassing was the sad incident which happened late Tuesday evening when no fewer than five Department State Services, DSS, personnel descended heavily on the Chief Press Secretary, CPS, to the State Governor, Dr. Ibraheem Dooba, beating him to stupor within the premises of the Government House.
The CPS was said to have gone to the office of the Deputy Governor with some visitors for an official engagement but was prevented from gaining entry into the office by some DSS officers attached to the Deputy Governor’s office.
Despite explanations by the governor’s spokesman that the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Ketso, sent for him through the protocol officer from his office, the security officers bluntly refused him entry into the office and this led to a hot argument.
Dr. Dooba was said to have introduced himself to an DSS official by saying: “I am the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and I am here to see the Deputy Governor officially and on his invitation.”
The DSS official was said to have replied thus: “Should I stand up and be dancing because you want to see the Deputy Governor?”
This infuriated the Chief Press Secretary and he was said to have slapped the securityman and left straight for his office without seeing the Deputy Governor.
The DSS man was said to have later mobilized his colleagues and stormed the Office of the CPS. They lied to the CPS that the Chief Security Officer, CSO, to Government House, Ibrahim Gambari, wanted to see him for settlement and he obliged.
But on their way to the CSO’s office, five of the DSS officers were said to have descended heavily on the CPS, kicking and hitting him all over; they tore his clothes which bore blood stains from the injuries they inflicted on him.
They insisted that he must be dragged to their state office to face other punishments, but other Government House staff quickly intervened to save the situation from degenerating into full blown chaos.
The situation also attracted the attention of the ADC to the state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, in person of Isah Murtala Raji, who arrived the scene and prevented the irate DSS officers from taking the CPS to their office.
The CPS was immediately immediately taken out of the Government House for medical check-up and did not report back to office again for the day.
Vanguard Metro reliably gathered that few hours to the sad event, a similar scenario also unfolded at the main gate of the Government House where another DSS operative had slapped a female police officer on duty.
There was said to have been a hot argument between the DSS officer and the police woman, both on duty, over who between them was duly authorised to allow visitors into the Government House.
The police woman who had been on the post for years was said to have explained to the DSS man on the need to pass one of the visitors in based on the fact that he was not a visitor but a staff. This, however, did not go down well with the male security officer who felt the police woman was trespassing and trying to control him.
The issue degenerated into a hot argument between the duo. The quick intervention of other security personnel on duty saved the situation from getting out of hand.
