The Director General of the State Security Service (SSS), Tosin Ajayi, has officially removed Adeboyega Fasasi from his position as Chief Security Officer (CSO) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Credible security sources confirmed the development over the weekend, revealing that Fasasi has been replaced by Rasheed Atanda Lawal, a deputy director currently undergoing a fellowship at the National Institute for Security Studies. Reports indicate that President Tinubu approved Fasasi’s removal at the request of the DG, who cited the need to send Fasasi for a “strategic course,” a common rationale for the reassignment of top security officials. Sources suggest that Lawal, who has been due for promotion to the rank of director since July 2023, had previously been overlooked for promotion in favor of junior officers due to favoritism within the former service management. “He is among the Deputy Directors that should have been promoted, but whose vacancies for promotion were given to their juniors because of favoritism,” an insider noted. Fasasi’s removal is believed to be linked to allegations of high-handedness and friction with influential figures around the president. “Fasasi has stepped on so many toes. Even the president was not pleased with the way he coordinated the office,” said a source familiar with the situation. Insiders noted that it has become customary for a new DG of the SSS to appoint a CSO with whom they feel comfortable. “The position of the CSO is highly strategic. The DG needs someone he trusts and is comfortable with at that key position,” the source explained. This trend of reshuffling security personnel has historical precedence; in March 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari approved the redeployment of CSO Bashir Abubakar, replacing him with Idris Ahmed at the recommendation of then-DG Yusuf Bichi, who cited a similar need for a "strategic course."
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