By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Department of State Services (DSS) has dragged three workers of the Lagos State Assembly to court for offences bordering on the alleged assault of its officers on official duties without any reasonable excuse.
The secret police accused the workers of alleged cyberstalking, recording, and circulating false information on social media to undermine law and order in the country.
The DSS also accused the trio of “willful misdirection of electronic messages to social media to embarrass its officials” on duty at the assembly complex on February 17.
While deciding on the agency’s suit, the federal high court in Lagos ordered the remand of the three workers of the state house of assembly for alleged assault and other offences.
Justice Daniel Osiagor, ordered the remand of Ibrahim Olanrewaju, Adetu Adekunle, and Fatimoh Adetola, on Tuesday, pending their arraignment on Wednesday.
When Michael Bajela, DSS counsel, approached the court for arraignment of the workers, the judge said he wanted to go through the file.
Recall that on February 17, social media videos suggested that DSS operatives invaded the Lagos assembly and obstructed the lawmakers from holding plenary.
In one of the videos, operatives of the DSS could be seen in a physical struggle with the state’s lawmakers — an incident which elicited mixed reactions from the public.
Details later emerged that the DSS was officially invited to the assembly complex by the acting clerk to assist in maintaining order following intelligence that Mudashiru Obasa, the ousted speaker, planned to resume office on February 18 — a move the house believed posed a security risk.
The Lagos assembly has been making headlines following the removal of Obasa as speaker on January 13 while outside the country and the election of Mojisola Meranda as the new speaker.
On his return, Obasa refused to accept his removal, insisting that due process was not followed and declaring himself the legitimate speaker of the house.
