Armed men, suspected to be robbers, have reportedly invaded the residences of two senior aides to President Muhammadu Buhari inside the precinct of the Presidential Villa, administration officials and security sources have revealed to newsmen.
The incident, which reportedly occurred at the weekend, allegedly prompted the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and the presidential admin officer, Abubakar Maikano, to abandon their residences, sources said.
“Their houses were robbed and the robbers packed money and other valuable assets from both houses,” an aide further stated.
It was not immediately clear whether or not valuable documents of State interest were carted away by the intruders, but it was learnt that the residences were thoroughly ransacked.
According to a security officer, who allegedly confirmed the incident, said, “The robbers took away as much as possible from both places”, adding that “what is more unfortunate is that no one has been arrested”.
The presidential palace, which is just west of the city centre, has long been seen as highly fortified and far beyond the reach of burglars, bandits and other criminals currently holding the vast swathes of the country to ransom.
No explanation was immediately rendered by the presidency for the invasion and why it was not prevented by the contingent of security officers, particularly those of the Department of Security Service, (DSS), guarding the Villa.
But as criminal activities overshadow other matters of national consequences, President Buhari has faced calls to act urgently before it would be too late.
Armed bandits have abducted thousands of citizens since January alone, claiming billions in ransom payments at an alarming rate. Many pundits have raised fears that the rising insecurity across the country was drawing closer to the elite than previously estimated.
