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The Department of State Services, DSS, has said its visit to the office of the
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, Abuja office on Monday was within the ambits of the law but misinterpreted.
The DSS clarified in a statement on its website that its operatives visited SERAP in the course of routine investigation, which has been misinterpreted as harassment and intimidation.
“The Department of State Services has been inundated with multiple enquiries on its alleged unlawful invasion of SERAP offices in Abuja and Lagos,” the statement read.
“This narrative is inaccurate and misleading in its intent. For the records, a team of two unarmed Service operatives were lawfully detailed on a routine investigation to the SERAP office in Abuja, which has sadly been skewed and misinterpreted as unlawful, harassment, and intimidation of SERAP officials.
“The Service further wishes to state that such official enquiries and liaison are traditional and do not in any way amount to illegality or raid.
“While it assures in-depth investigation of these malicious contents, it sues for citizens’ participation in national security management.
“The DSS, therefore, urges the public to disregard these false narratives as it restates its commitment to utmost professionalism in the discharge of its core mandate.”
SERAP had in a statement by its Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, condemned the invasion of their Abuja office and urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately intervene.
The statement read in part: “We condemn the invasion of our Abuja office today by Nigeria’s Department of State Services. The Tinubu administration must immediately direct the DSS to end the intimidation and harassment of SERAP and our staff members.
“The invasion of SERAP’s office by the DSS and the harassment and intimidation of our staff members is a brutal assault on the entire human rights community in the country.
“The escalating crackdown on human rights, and harassment and intimidation of NGOs and human rights defenders that have shown astonishing courage in their human rights work hurt those most in need, undermine access of Nigerian victims of human rights violations and abuses to justice, and contribute to a culture of impunity of perpetrators.
“This government has an obligation to support and protect civil society groups and human rights defenders. We are seriously concerned about the growing restrictions on civic space and the brutal crackdown on the human rights of Nigerians.
“President Tinubu must urgently instruct appropriate authorities to promptly and thoroughly investigate the invasion of our offices and to bring to justice those involved.”
