The Department of State Services (DSS), has finally explained the rationale behind its deployment of operatives to the offices of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), in Lagos and Abuja on Monday. The Service, however, continued to maintain studied silence on the reason for the arrest of the President of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero. Though the DSS has already succumbed to pressure from NLC and other civil society organiSations and released Ajaero in the early hours of Tuesday according to media reports. NLC had on Monday night given the service 24 hours to release its leader, while instructing all its affiliates and state chapters to be on red alert for an industrial action in an event that the DSS failed to set him free within the given period.
Meanwhile, the service again, swallowed its pride in the early hours of Tuesday, and clarified issues on the alleged unlawful raid of SERAP offices in Lagos and Abuja.
Making slight adjustment to its new public communication policy of studied silence, the Department of State Services (DSS), in a statement said that it was inundated with multiple enquiries on its alleged unlawful invasion of SERAP offices in Abuja and Lagos.
The DSS, urged the public to disregard these false narratives as it restates its commitment to utmost professionalism in the discharge of its core mandate.
According to the statement, “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 stated that such official enquiries and liaison are traditional and does not in any way amount to illegality or raid.
While it assured of in depth investigation of these malicious contents, the service calls for citizens’ participation in national security management.
Linus Aleke
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