By
Anmar Ahmad (Abuja)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission via its verified Facebook page on Tuesday cries over the siege on their Lagos office by the operatives of the Department of the State Security Services (DSS).
The development came barely less than 24hrs after the inauguration of the new Nigerian President Sen. Bola Ahmad Tinubu.
Reasons for the development have not been made public as at the time of filing this report.
The statement by the Commission which was posted on its verified Facebook page reads as follows:
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 armored 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.
