The Department of State Services (DSS) employees’ barrier of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Lagos headquarters has been criticized.
The EFCC’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement on Tuesday that the DSS’s siege of its headquarters has resulted in suspects being held without treatment, which has serious ramifications.
According to Uwujaren, the lockout has impacted the Commission’s activities at its busiest hub, which houses more than 500 employees, hundreds of important exhibits, and a substantial number of detained suspects.
UPDATE: DSS Reacts Over Alleged Blocking of Lagos EFCC Office
He said: “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.”
According to the EFCC spokesman, cases that were supposed to go before a Lagos court on Tuesday have been postponed, and numerous suspects that the anti-graft agency had invited for questioning are unable to be attended to.
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He added: “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 wider 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.”
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