SERAP narrative on “invasion” inacurate, misleading – DSS

The human rights group had raised the alarm over an “unlawful occupation” of its offices by operatives of the DSS.

Serap narrative on "invasion" inacurate, misleading - dssThe Department of State Services (DSS) has described allegations by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) that its officers had taken control of its Abuja and Lagos offices, as
“inaccurate and misleading”.
The DSS, in a publication on its website on Tuesday in Abuja said a team of two unarmed operatives of the service were lawfully detailed on routine investigation to SERAP office in Abuja.
The publication said SERAP, a Human Right Group had sadly skewed and misinterpreted the lawful assignment as unlawful, harassment and intimidation of its officials.
The department said such official enquiries and liaison were traditional and does not in any way amount to illegality or raid.
The service assured an indept investigation of the malicious contents and called for for citizens’ participation in national security management.
It urged the public to disregard the false narratives by SERAP and pledged its commitment to utmost professionalism in the discharge of its core mandate.
The human rights group had raised the alarm over an “unlawful occupation” of its offices by operatives of the DSS.

Meanwhile, 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.

 

Joe Ajaero released

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.

The group had called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the DSS to end the “harassment, intimidation and attack on the rights of Nigerians.