Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have stormed the Ikoyi, Lagos, home of Kayode Are, retired colonel and former director-general of the secret police, and thrown out his belongings.
The operatives stormed the residence in two buses around 3pm on Wednesday, breaking down the doors and throwing out his property, according to TheCable reports.
A member of the household said the operatives did not produce any legal document to back up their action. Are, who was DG of the DSS from 1999 to 2007 under President Olusegun Obasanjo, had been asked to quit the house by the new head of the agency, Lawal Daura, but was given till December 31, 2015 to do so.
However, according to the report, he got a court order to restrain the DSS from forcefully ejecting him. This, it is believed, might have led to the DSS action.
In an email to TheCable from an insider, Are was said to have been taken unawares by the development.
Said the source: “Col. Are was the longest serving Director General of the SSS. He served between 1999 and 2007. There is rule in the service that all retired DGs are given a residence to live in for their lifetime and security etc. All the former DGs and even the DG that took over from Col. Are are enjoying this benefit. Even some of them have bought the houses. Col. Are got his own allocation in 2010 and has lived in the house since then.
“When the new DG took over, he suddenly ordered that Col. Are should move out of the house. Col. Are went to court and obtained an order that status quo be maintained. After several unsuccessful attempts to resolve the matter, the order was eventually served on the DSS on December 1, 2015. The next morning, officers of the SSS invaded the house and are trying to forcibly remove Col. Are and his family from the house. They are there presently and they are breaking down the doors of the house. The house is at 50 Alexander Avenue, Ikoyi.”
