President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday named Abdulkarim Dauda and Kayode Sikiru Akande to serve as the Chief Personal Security Officer to the President and the Officer in Charge of Presidential Movement respectively. Both officers were promoted from the position of Assistant Commissioner of Police to Deputy Commissioner of Police.

The development is coming on the heels of reports that top military officers in President Buhari’s government are planning to overthrow the President.

Sources privy to the development who did not want to be named told SIGNAL on Thursday that while the appointment of a new Chief Security Officer for the President may have long been overdue, President Buhari’s concern about the threat of a possible military coup has forced him to rejig his personal security apparatus at the presidential villa.

“The issue of a new Chief Security Officer for the President has lingered for some time now. But I can tell you that Thursday’s announcement is a swift and panic reaction to the news of a possible military coup which the President is not taking lightly. You know he is a retired military general. Anything that relates to his personal security, he doesn’t joke with it. He actually gets paranoid with it”, the source said.

Recall that in July 2015, President Buhari fired Abdulrahman Mani who was then his Chief Security Officer. Mani was alleged to have been involved in “shady deals” in fixing appointments and was allegedly “undermining” the president. Mani had been deployed by the DSS as a security detail to Buhari in 2011 weeks before he launched his campaign that year.

The Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force, NDLF had revealed on Wednesday that some top Army officers allegedly planning to overthrow President Muhammadu Buhari had approached Niger-Delta militants to continue bombing oil installations to give reason and justification for a coup against him.

Top officials of Nigeria’s defence and military hierarchy have quickly dismissed the reports  pledging their full loyalty to President Buhari.

“The Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin wishes to assure our highly respected political leaders and the entire Nigerians that the military will continue to be apolitical and will do everything possible to defend and deepen our democratic governance which is the best, acceptable and legitimate form of government the world over. The Defence Headquarters restates its total subordination to civil authority and upholding the supremacy of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and will continue to defend all democratic structures and will never yield to blackmail and distractions from fifth columnist. Therefore this unfounded story should be discountenance in its entirety”, a statement from Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters said in reaction to reports about the threat of a military coup.

Meanwhile, Buhari, while decorating the newly promoted officers of the Nigerian Police Force deployed to his office with their new ranks, charged to live up to their duties and justify the confidence reposed in them as this was the only way Nigeria can get out of the current hardships facing the nation.

He also commended them for their hard work and achievements which brought about their promotion.

He said Nigeria needed their dedication and unwavering commitment for it to achieve greatness and assume its rightful position, cautioning them not to abuse their positions.