“No one expected” sack of Christopher Musa, other security chiefs. “It came as a surprise,” says security expert, but concedes ground to Tinubu’s prerogative

“No one expected” sack of Christopher Musa, other security chiefs, but Tinubu has the constitutional right to relieve any service chiefs of their duties,” he clarifies

By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor

**********************************

“In the first place, no one expected it. It came as a surprise.

“Then going beyond that, Mr. President Tinubu is the Commander-in-Chief and, at any time, he has the constitutional right to relieve any service chiefs of their duties.

“The world over, this is the practice. Once you appoint service chiefs, particularly when you are facing insecurity, if you are not getting the results they were appointed for, you relieve them and put new ones in” – security expert Dantata.

**********************************

Bola Tinubu going to the extent of getting rid of General Christopher Musa and some other service chiefs “came as a surprise,” according to security expert Salihu Dantata, but he concedes that the President “has the constitutional right to relieve any service chiefs of their duties.”

Dantata was reacting in an interview on Arise Television to the sack on Friday of Musa and other service chiefs, except General Olufemi Oluyede (Chief of Army Staff), who transitioned to CDS; and Major General E.A.P Undiendeye who retained his job as Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI).

Tinubu made the changes in the miliary hierarchy – coming days after a rumoured attempted coup against him – but the Villa explained the action is in furtherance of the of the government’s efforts to strengthen national security.

“In the first place, no one expected it. It came as a surprise,” Dantata said.

“Then going beyond that, Mr. President Tinubu is the Commander-in-Chief and, at any time, he has the constitutional right to relieve any service chiefs of their duties.

“The world over, this is the practice. Once you appoint service chiefs, particularly when you are facing insecurity, if you are not getting the results they were appointed for, you relieve them and put new ones in.”

Nevertheless, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has insisted that Tinubu still needs to explain the clearing out of his defence top brass amid rumour of a military attempt to overthrow him, which the army has denied, but the Villa is silent about.

Read also:

ADC presses Tinubu to explain real “reason” why he fired Christopher Musa, other service top brass against backdrop of denied coup attempt