DSS complies with Tinubu’s order, vacates EFCC Lagos shared facility
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DSS complies with Tinubu’s order, vacates EFCC Lagos shared facility
In accordance with President Bola Tinubu’s order, the Department of State Services (DSS) has left the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) office in Ikoyi, Lagos.
According to information obtained by GONG-NEWS, the DSS, which had blocked the anti-corruption agency’s office on Tuesday morning, left the location on Tuesday night at the president’s request.
The president had instructed the DSS to leave the office as soon as possible on Tuesday evening, stating that any disputes between the “two important agencies of government” would be settled peacefully.
At the time of filing this report, GONG-NEWS observed that normalcy seems to have been restored at the EFCC offices on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, as there were no signs of barriers or barricades around the building, which had prevented the agency’s officials from accessing the building on Tuesday.
It will be recalled that the operatives of the DSS stormed the Lagos office of the EFCC on Tuesday morning, preventing officials of the anti-graft agency from gaining access to their office in Ikoyi.
In a statement on its official Facebook page, the EFCC described the siege as shocking, noting that it has wider implications for Nigeria’s fight against economic and financial crimes.
“The operatives of the Lagos Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arrived at their office on No. 15 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, this morning, May 30, 2023, to be denied entry by agents of the Department of State Services, DSS, who had barricaded the entrance with armoured personnel carriers.
“This development is strange to the Commission given that we have cohabited with the DSS in that facility for 20 years without incident.
“By denying operatives access to their offices, the Commission’s operations at its largest hub with over 500 personnel, hundreds of exhibits, and many suspects in detention have been disrupted.
“Cases scheduled for court hearing today have been aborted, while many suspects who had been invited for questioning are left unattended.
“Even more alarming is that suspects in detention are left without care, with grave implications for their rights as inmates.
“All of these have wilder implications for the nation’s fight against economic and financial crimes.
“The siege is inconsistent with the synergy expected of agencies working for the same government and nation, especially when there are ongoing discussions on the matter,” the statement read.
As the drama unfolded, the DSS, in a statement by its spokesman, Peter Afunanya, denied barricading the EFCC office and preventing EFCC officials from entering the building.
According to the DSS statement, “The attention of the Department of State Services (DSS) has been drawn to some media reports that it barricaded the EFCC from entering its Lagos office.
“The claim that the DSS forbade the EFCC from visiting its office is untrue. No. It’s not accurate. The service is solely using its own space to carry out its official business and statutory obligations.By the way, contrary to what the media has implied, there is no problem around No. 15A Awolowo Road. Did the EFCC inform you that it is disputing the building’s ownership? If it disputes ownership, I will be astonished.NSO’s main office was on Awolowo Road. The SSS/DSS then began. It is widely known. It is a fact of history. Look into it.
