The Department of State Services has responded to allegations made by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project that the Secret Service invaded its Abuja office and demanded to see the organization’s directors.
SERAP had alerted Nigerians, stating that DSS officers visited their Abuja office and described the incident in a statement.
“A tall, large, dark-skinned woman entered our office, accompanied by a slim, dark-skinned man. Other officers were sighted in two unmarked vehicles stationed outside our office. The officers who interrogated our office requested to see our directors,” SERAP stated.
SERAP also urged President Bola Tinubu to “immediately direct DSS to end the intimidation, harassment, and attack against our organization and the threat of arrest against its directors.”
Following the incident, many Nigerians took to social media and other communication channels to condemn the actions of the DSS, arguing that it violated fundamental rights to freedom of association and expression, which are key pillars of any democratic society.
However, the DSS, in a statement released on its official website on Tuesday, justified its actions, stating that the visit was part of a routine investigation that has been misinterpreted. The DSS stated, “The Department of State Services (DSS) has been inundated with multiple inquiries on its alleged unlawful invasion of SERAP offices in Abuja and Lagos.”
The statement continued: “This narrative is inaccurate and misleading in its intent. For the records, a team of two (2) unarmed Service operatives were lawfully detailed on routine investigation to SERAP office in Abuja, which has sadly been skewed and misinterpreted as unlawful, harassment, and intimidation of SERAP officials. The Service further wishes to state that such official inquiries and liaison are traditional and do not in any way amount to illegality or raid.”
The DSS also assured the public of an in-depth investigation into what it described as “malicious contents” surrounding the incident and called for public participation in national security management. “The DSS, therefore, urges the public to disregard these false narratives as it restates its commitment to utmost professionalism in the discharge of its core mandate,” the statement concluded.
