DSS STOPPED PRESIDENT BUHARI FROM VISITING OGONI LAND - Local News

– The top security source revealed more details about President Buhari canceled trip to Rivers state. He said the DSS stopped the president from the official visit to Niger Delta

More details have emerged over why President Muhammadu Buhari has cancelled his official trip to the Rivers state on June 2, Thursday.

The sources revealed that the Department of State Services (DSS) advised President Buhari to terminate his trip at the last moment.

However, that fact that before the announcement, the presidential advance team was already in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, showed that Buhari was actually scheduled to be on the trip. But he was reportedly advised, for “security reasons”, to cancel the visit for his own safety.

A top security source said: “There was no reason for the DSS not to have allowed President Buhari undertake the trip.

“There was no apparent security threat to the president’s life despite statement credited to the new Niger Delta militant group, the Avengers, threatening the life of the president.

“It is most unfortunate that a well planned trip that would have endeared the president to the South South people was aborted at the last moment.

“This historic trip would have remained indelible in the minds of the people. The people of Ogoniland as well as the entire Niger Delta people were waiting anxiously to receive the president only to be told that he would be represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

“The security operatives that advised him against going to the Niger Delta just destroyed the goodwill president would have enjoyed among the people.

“It is most unfortunate. The advice was also designed to put the National Security Adviser to the President in bad light as one who doesn’t know what he is doing. They have been trying to undermine his office ever since but had repeatedly failed.

“This idea of ascribing health reasons to Mr. President’s inability to travel is not healthy for the government.

“It portrays the president as a sick president and that is not the case with President Buhari. I advise those close to Mr. President to look into that particular issue and find a way of keeping it out of the media

President Buhari was scheduled to launch the cleanup program in Ogoni land.

However, the president cancelled his trip at the last moment. The cancellation has caused uproar especially on social media. It followed the threat of militant group Niger Delta Avengers on the life of the president.

In November 2014, ex-president Goodluck Jonathan also cancelled his trip to Ogidigben, a community in Warri south-west local government, under a similar circumstance.