The Niger Delta Self Determination Movement [NDSDM] has warned the federal government to desist from perceived plot to remove the Acting Director-General of the Department of State Security [DSS], Mr Matthew Seiyefa from office.
NDSDM stated this in a press statement signed by the convener, Mrs Annkio Briggs.
The statement reads:
It has come to the notice of the Niger Delta Self Determination Movement that there is a plot to remove the Acting Director-General of Department of State Security Mr Matthew Seiyefa from office by the political and regional cabal that holds Nigeria hostage.
It is, therefore, necessary that we make a statement on this news making the rounds of this plot to unceremoniously remove Seiyefa either to bring back Daura or to replace Daura with another of his ethnic nationality to bring the security colouration to a security appointment of nepotism.
NDSDM issued a statement on the 8th of August 2018 at the appointment of Mr. Matthew B. Seiyefa to the position of Acting Director of the DSS following the appointment termination of the then DG of the DSS Lawal by Acting President following the invasion and siege of the National Assembly by fierce hooded men who claimed to be from the DSS and acting on orders from above.
In that statement signed by Annkio Briggs the convener NDSDM stated that the appointment of Seiyefa to the position of Acting DG was not a favour to him as a person, his Ethnic Nationality, State or Region, it was and remains an appointment of merit as he was and remains the next senior officer after the sacked Lawal Daura.
The NDSDM was suspicious at that time that everything and anything will be done to reverse the appointment of Mr Seiyefa as Acting DG as the removal of Lawal Daura will not be approved by the cabal that controls Nigeria.
Seiyefa has risen to where he is today through hard work and not favours. We report that his appointment is purely on merit.
He has since his appointment made changes in accordance with his profession within his authority as the Acting DG of the DSS which has unsettled the cabal that has the system and government in their control.
The Acting DG has been instructed by the Chief of Staff to the President Mallam Abba Kyari to reverse all the newly promoted by the Acting DG Seiyefa to go back to their former positions.
The question is the Chief of Staff to the President the National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno as the DSS is under the office of the National Security Adviser, or is the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Kyari the President of Nigeria if he is neither of the two then he is over-stepping, he has been crossing the red line.
If it is true that the Acting DG released some people who have been held in custody of the DSS without any form of trial then he did the right thing, by releasing many victims of long detention by the DSS rotting away without trial, most of the people under this injustice, torture and abuse of human rights.
On his appointment by the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo after Daura was sacked for ordering the invasion and siege of the National Assembly with masked men, Mr. Seiyefa promised to clean up the mess at the agency.
The abuse of human rights and accountability being some of those aspects of the mess in the DSS.
The appointment of a spokesperson being another as Mr. Daura since his appointment had no spokesperson or media unit.
The plan to remove Mr. Seiyefa cannot be unrelated to the speculation that Mr. Seiyefa, been the professional that he is, may enforce the multiple court pronouncements granting bails to the leader of the Shiite Ibrahim el-Zakzaky and former National Security Adviser [NSA] during President Jonathan’s tenure, Sambo Dasuki.
The security appointments is not the sole property of a handpicked set of people from a particular area of Nigeria.
The people of the Niger Delta Region are equal partners in the Nigeria project; the Niger Delta people are not second class citizens and will not continue to accept the role of beggars.
The Niger Delta people having accepted the questionable results of the elections of 2015 that removed President Goodluck Jonathan, where children voted, and external forces applied pressure of blackmail and some Niger Delta people played key roles with our states resources to facilitate the eventual negative results.
Niger Delta region states. have since 2015 endured unbelievable oppression should not be threatened with the final push of plotting to remove Mr. Matthew Seiyefa under any disguise, as it should be recalled that Lawal Daura was called out of retirement to be imposed on the nation as DG DSS.
The NDSDM, while calling on the Niger Delta people to remember that they are free born citizens of Nigeria and therefore equal partners in the project Nigeria, also call them to be vigilant and never forget that as Nigeria stands today the oil and gas producing Niger Delta have sustained and continues to sustain Nigeria for 60 years.
We therefore condemn and reject the plan to treat us as people without rights.
The NDSDM hereby state that we will see and take the plan to remove Mr. Matthew Seiyefa as the Acting Director General DSS after barely three weeks and the obvious plan to reinstate Mr. Lawal Daura or another person from a preferred region, ethnic nationality and religion as abuse of political and democratic power against the peoples, states, region, and religion of the Niger Delta.
This attitude of total disregard and disrespect towards the people of the Niger Delta takes us further to the point where we have no alternative but to demand for and establish our basic human rights of asking for our right to govern, protect and develop our region and people with our human and natural resources where we alone will determine what is in our own best interests.
