There is an uneasy calm in the State Security Service over a promotion exercise conducted recently by the leadership of the Service.No fewer than 45 officers of the Service, including its spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, were promoted to different grade levels during the exercise.

Mrs. Ogar, a deputy director, who was recently fingered in a bribery scam, and 28 others were elevated from Grade Level 15 to 16 while 16 others moved to Grade Level 17 from 16.

The exercise, believed to have been hurriedly undertaken by the leadership of the SSS in anticipation of its exit on May 29, is embroiled in controversy as some officers, who were also due for promotion, were left out.

Information gathered that some of the officers who were interviewed and were qualified for promotion were not uplifted thereby causing disaffection among the officers. 

Besides, according to our sources, some state directors, although already issued retirement letters, surprisingly benefited from the exercise.

Some of them are one Achu B, who was the director in the Lagos office and a former director, technical, a Mr. Omeruyi.

Insiders say promotion exercises in the Service usually take effect from July 1 every year, but that the current one was conducted hurriedly by the leadership of the Service to reward its loyalists ahead of the May 29 handover date to a new administration.

The spokesperson of the Service, Ms. Ogar, did not answer or return calls seeking comments for this story.

The Federal Government had last month directed all ministries, agencies and extra-ministerial departments to prepare their handover briefs ahead of May 29 inauguration of the incoming administration of Muhammadu Buhari.

The service chiefs and the police were affected by the directive contained in a memo dated April 13 and signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim.