By Emmanuel Aziken

LAGOS — The Department of State Services, DSS, is set to take over investigations into the affairs of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, under its immediate past Director-General, Dr. Patrick Akpobokemi, from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Both security agencies, it was learnt at the weekend, were set for a head on collision over who should take the lead role in the investigations into the agency during the regime of its immediate past boss, Akpobokemi, who was sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari more than one month ago.

It was gathered that the EFCC was the first to commence investigations into the agency with its agents combing the books of the maritime regulatory agency immediately Akpobokemi was sacked by the president. The former director-general was believed to be a close ally of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Apprehension was, however, said to have been raised recently following alleged moves by the DSS to take over the investigations from the EFCC which, according to some sources, has been on for the past three weeks.

The basis of the DSS involvement, it was gathered, was the alleged security concerns that may flow out from deep scrutiny of the agency.

The involvement of the DSS, it was gathered, may also not be unconnected with alleged past links between the former director general and Niger Delta activists who before the last presidential election promised unsavoury reactions to the possible defeat of Dr. Jonathan.

A source privy to the development said, weekend: “It means, therefore, that with the loss of the former president, who is their man, in the last presidential election, the leadership of that platform of which the former DG was a player might want to have ulterior motives.

“As far as the DSS is concerned, the issue of security is far more important than what the EFCC is pursuing without result for the last three weeks or so.”