Over 24 hours after its officials raided an office of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos, the Department of State Services, DSS, has given reasons for its action.
In a statement on Sunday by its spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, the DSS, popularly called SSS, said it received a petition alleging “unwholesome activities” in the building located at No.10, Bola Ajbola Street, Allen Avenue, Ikeja.
“The petition alleged that those behind the activities were cloning INEC Permanent Voters Card with the intention of hacking into INEC data base, corrupting it and replacing them with their own data.
“Based on this information, the service placed the building under surveillance and having been convinced that some unwholesome activities were going on in the building, it undertook a raid of the premises.
“In the process, some persons were arrested, while a server, three hard drives and 31 Ghana must go bags of hard copy documents were recovered and taken away for further investigation,” Ms. Ogar said.
The spokesperson, who has in the past made unsubstantiated allegations against the APC, said the building had no sign post indicating it was a private or government office.
The DSS statement came almost 24 hours after the APC announced the invasion of its office and called for a thorough investigation of the perpetrators.
In the statement by its spokesperson, Lai Mohammed, the APC said the building was being used as a data centre for its members.
“In what was a gestapo-like operation, the APC membership data centre located at Number 10, Bola Ajibola street, off Allen Avenue in Ikeja, came under siege between the hours of 5:30 am and 7:30 am on Saturday,” Mr. Mohammed said.
“An operation of terror and brigandage was unleashed on a legitimate operation of a leading national party. They came without a search warrant for the premises. Over 50 security operatives drafted from Abuja operations blocked the two major street entrances to the APC data entry centre, pulled down the gates and spent over 2 hours ransacking and vandalizing the centre.
“More than a dozen computers were destroyed. The server was also vandalized along with other equipments in the building. Just like the Watergate scandal in the USA, the state-sponsored security operatives, apparently acting at the behest of the ruling PDP government, turned the office upside down, and pulled out and vandalized everything in sight.
“If the PDP-led government and the security agents had done due diligence and acted professionally, they would have known that the APC data centre is a legitimate operation and the staff are Nigerian youths who were left jobless by the Jonathan government. Apart from the Lagos centre, the operation is decentralized and similar centres are functional in about six different locations around the country.
“They chose to believe the lie that it was a warehouse belonging to one of the national leaders of the party where dangerous weapons were being kept, when in fact it is a centre for entering the data provided by the millions of Nigerians who registered as members of the party during its membership registration exercise.”
The opposition party called for an “independent inquiry to fish out those who ordered the needless and unprovoked attack”.
“Now that they have overreached themselves by attacking the offices of the main opposition party and destroying part of its membership database, can the PDP-led government still claim to be operating under the rule of law? Can the government sincerely tell the world it is now ready for free and fair elections in 2015? This is one impunity too many, and we will not allow it to be swept under the carpet,” it said.
Madam we know what you represent. However, not to worry, one day the situation will change. You as a public servant should be independent but you have chosen to play politics with your job. You have become the mouth piece of the PDP in DSS. Welldone.
ReplyDeleteWhat does she represent? She'll be doing well when she playing to your tunes,right?
DeleteThey monitored the house before invasion. I know your naivety an ignorance will make expect to give details of her security assignments on the pages of a newspaper.
You all are going nuts because of your self interest driven politics.
APC's desperate political desire is getting more obvious each day. We're watching.
God will expose you all APC, Data collection center without sign post or any mark at all to show what the building is being used for? I wonder have far the APC will go to try and get into power in 2015? Shame on you all...Please SSS should release all the evidence for us to see.
ReplyDeleteWere entered another DEMO era, like olding days. God see us through
ReplyDeleteAPC is doing this and Lie Mohammed is also crying about election rigging. If Nigeria survives 2015, then we will good forever.
ReplyDeleteDue processs should always be apply when you want to carryout any order.DSS should apologist.America FBI cannever do such.stop playing politics with DSS
ReplyDeleteI would have thought you will be interested in the outcome of the investigation. APC should explain.
ReplyDeleteLai Muhammad! How many Nigerian youths are manning your data centre? If it just to keep data of party members I don't see why you need so many. DSS should please come up pronto with their findings.
ReplyDeleteThis is Stupid for us to think that what the Dss did was right, we need to drop Politics and face national interest. Its wrong to invade the premises without due respect and with search warrant. What if the DSS came with some incriminating things to drop there and accuse the APC leaders for Politics sake?
ReplyDeleteAPC has not accused DSS of planting anything. Why not wait for the outcome of investigation?
ReplyDelete