Nigeria's acting president fires secret police chief

ABUJA - Nigeria's acting president Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday fired the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) after a siege on the parliament building by masked security operatives.

The termination of Lawal Musa Daura's appointment was announced in a statement by the Presidency in a twitter post on Tuesday.

Details remain not immediately known on the reason for the sacking of the official.

Osinbajo had earlier summoned an emergency meeting with the duo of Daura and Ibrahim Idris, the inspector general of police, following the unauthorized takeover Tuesday of the national parliament by the masked security operatives.

National lawmakers, journalists and staff of the national parliament were denied access to the parliament building by the security operatives who claimed to be acting on "an order from above."

The development had caused palpable tension in the country as most citizens suspected a political undertone to the act. The unauthorized takeover of the parliament by security operatives was roundly condemned as "anti-democratic."

Some opposition senators, who were caught in the blockade, interpreted it as a move to forcefully unseat the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who dumped the governing party for the main opposition People's Democratic Party last week.

Osinbajo described the unauthorized takeover of the National Assembly as "a gross violation of the constitutional order, rule of law and all acceptable notions of law and order."

According to him, the unlawful act was done without the knowledge of the Presidency.

The acting president, thereafter, said all persons within the law enforcement apparatus who participated in the travesty will be identified and subjected to appropriate disciplinary action.