By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – NOT less than 25 personnel of Department of State Services, DSS, Sunday evening invaded the residence of the former Chief of Staff to Governor Godwin Obaseki, Taiwo Akerele and arrested his Personal Assistant Jaspa Olowojoba after using him to search Akerele’s house located off 1st Ugbor Road in Benin city while the whereabouts of Akerele is unknown.

Akerele resigned his position on Friday night and was replaced by Ethan Uzamere as the new Chief of staff.

The SSS detectives arrived his residence at about 5 pm in an 18 seater bus and three vehicles of Operation Wabaizigan.

It was gathered that a security detail to the governor had called Olowojoba to come and remove Akerele’s personal belongings from his former office but Olowojoba was said to have said he would come and do that on Monday but the security detail was said to have prevailed on him to come and the security men were said to have allowed him to remove all his belongings and then followed him home when he removed the last consignments of his belongings.

As at the time of filing this report, Akerela and Olowojoba’s lines were switched off while the whereabouts of

A former Chief of Staff to Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Taiwo Akerele, on Sunday cried out that his life is in danger following the invasion of his residence at 1st Ugbor Road in Benin GRA by men of the Department of State Services.

The DSS men invaded the residence of Akerele around 5pm and arrested his Personal Assistant, Jaspa Olowojoba, the security man and other domestic staff in the residence.

Akerele, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the telephone, said his street was cordoned off by the DSS men who came in one 18-seater bus and three vehicles of Operation Wabaizigan.

“They cordoned off my street, arrested all my personal staff, my security man and took away all my children’s birth certificates. They sealed my house, my life is under threat. I said I have resigned and that I shared his vision and I am still with him politically, so what else do they want from me?” he said.

But reacting, the Edo State Commissioner for Information, Mr Paul Ohonbamu, accused Akerele of attempting to blackmail the governor, saying having accepted his resignation and appointed a new CoS, Obaseki had moved on and had nothing to benefit from attacking Akerele.

Ohonbamu said, “He is the least of our worry; no one is bothered about him; the governor has moved on. To say that the governor is after him is sheer falsehood and blackmail and it shows the kind of character we are dealing with.”

Akerele who was said to have received visitors in his house earlier in the day remain unknown.

A source close to the former Chief of Staff told Vanguard yesterday that “They called his PA severally that he should come and collect Akerele’s personal belongings so that the new Chief of Staff could resume but Olowojoba said he would come for them on Monday but he insisted and when he went they allowed him to remove all his belongings and when they were going with the last consignment, DSS went with him to Akerele’s house, they ransacked his house and then went away with his PA but Akerele’s whereabouts is unknown”