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Tinubu’s Top Bodyguard Removed By DSS – Full Details

Published

2 months ago

Oct 20, 2024.

The Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Ajayi, has removed Adeboyega Fasasi from his role as Chief Security Officer (CSO) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Reliable security sources confirmed this to Daily Nigerian over the weekend, revealing that Fasasi has been replaced by Rasheed Atanda Lawal, a deputy director currently enrolled in a fellowship at the National Institute for Security Studies.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that according to insiders, President Tinubu approved the decision after the DSS Director General requested that Fasasi be sent on a “strategic course.”

This reason is often cited when high-ranking security officers close to the president are reassigned.

Sources further disclosed that Lawal was due for a promotion to director in July 2023, but his advancement was delayed under the previous DSS leadership.

Lawal was reportedly passed over in favor of junior officers, including Koko, Milad, and Fasasi, due to internal favoritism within the agency.

“Lawal should have been promoted in July 2023, but junior officers were favored over him,” a source told Daily Nigerian.

Fasasi’s removal has also been linked to allegations of high-handedness and tensions with key figures around the president.

One source noted that Fasasi “stepped on many influential toes,” and that President Tinubu was not entirely satisfied with his management of the office.

It is customary for the DSS to replace the president’s CSO when a new Director General takes charge, with the new DG often selecting a trusted ally for the position.

President Bola Tinubu's Chief Security Officer, Adeboyega Fasasi, has been replaced by Rasheed Lawal following DSS Director General Tosin Ajayi's request.

Top Tinubu Bodyguard Removed By DSS

This practice was followed in March 2019 when then-President Muhammadu Buhari replaced his CSO, Bashir Abubakar, with Idris Ahmed, following a recommendation from the then-DSS Director General, Yusuf Bichi.