“The Story Is False, Deceptive,” DSS Regarding “Assault” Into SERAP’s Offices

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) made accusations that the Department of State Services (DSS) had its personnel seize possession of its offices in Lagos and Abuja; the DSS called these claims “inaccurate and misleading”.

The agency stated in a statement on Tuesday that it was forced to address the issue due to the volume of inquiries it had received.

“This narrative’s intent is misleading and inaccurate,” it stated. For the record, two unarmed Service agents were lawfully assigned to the SERAP office in Abuja as part of a normal inquiry. Unfortunately, this information has been twisted and misconstrued to suggest that the agents were being harassed and intimidated illegally. The Service also wants to clarify that these official inquiries and liaisons are customary and do not imply any unlawful activity or raids.

It sued to include civilians in national security management, but it also promised a thorough investigation of the allegation.

The DSS restated its commitment to the highest level of professionalism in carrying out its primary purpose and urged the public to ignore these misleading narratives.

In a statement posted on its X account on Monday, SERAP called the activity a “illegal occupation.”

According to SERAP, the officials were requesting a meeting with the directors of the company.

The DSS was urged to put a halt to the “harassment, intimidation, and attack on the rights of Nigerians” by President Bola Tinubu.

According to the statement, “State Security Service (SSS) officers from Nigeria are currently illegally occupying SERAP’s office in Abuja and requesting to see our directors.”

“President Tinubu needs to give the SSS immediate orders to stop harassing, intimidating, and violating Nigerians’ rights.”

According to SERAP, the invasion of its office came after it demanded that President Tinubu and his administration order the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to promptly undo the seemingly unlawful and unconstitutional hike in the price of gasoline at the pump and to guarantee the prompt and comprehensive investigation of claims of corruption and mismanagement within the NNPC.

The organization, SERAP, issued the following statement, which was signed by deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare: “We condemn the invasion of our Abuja office today by Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS).” The DSS must be promptly instructed by the Tinubu administration to stop intimidating and harassing SERAP and its employees.

Femi Falana, a prominent Nigerian advocate and human rights lawyer, was cited as saying: “We condemn the invasion of SERAP’s office.” The officials who invaded SERAP’s office in the name of the government need to be apprehended by the Tinubu government immediately. Legal action must be taken against anyone discovered to be in charge of the incursion. According to the Nigerian Constitution, the government must permit human rights defenders to freely carry out their job.

“The DSS’s invasion of SERAP’s office and the harassment and intimidation of our staff members is a brutal assault on the entire human rights community in the country,” stated SERAP in part of their statement.

“The intensifying crackdown on human rights, along with the intimidation and harassment of NGOs and human rights defenders who have displayed incredible bravery in their work, harm the most vulnerable, impede the ability of Nigerian victims of abuses and violations of human rights to seek justice, and foster a climate in which those who commit human rights violations go unpunished.”

Human rights advocates and members of civil society organizations must get assistance and protection from this government. The harsh attack on Nigerians’ human rights and the expanding limitations on public space are grave concerns to us.

“President Tinubu needs to give the necessary authorities immediate instructions to look into the invasion of our offices thoroughly and quickly and to bring those responsible to justice.”

“SERAP’s mandates, as recognized by the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to which Nigeria is a state party, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, must be freely carried out by Nigerian authorities.”

“The attacks of intimidation and harassment against SERAP must stop, and the safety and security of our employees must be guaranteed by Nigerian authorities.”

In order to oppose the harsh crackdown and hold the authorities accountable for their constitutional and international human rights obligations, SERAP will take the appropriate legal action both nationally and internationally if the Tinubu government fails to take all the necessary steps to immediately stop the intimidation and harassment of SERAP or any other civil society group.

“SERAP will keep up its efforts to oppose any attempt to limit, muzzle, or eradicate the nation’s legitimate civil society organizations’ voices. We implore the president to publicly denounce the intimidation and harassment of SERAP and its employees.

Everyone whose rights are violated has the right to an appropriate remedy under both international human rights law and the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended). The level of security that civil society organizations and human rights defenders experience is a major factor in their ability to reveal abuses of human rights and pursue remedies for them.

“Although some people might not agree with what SERAP has to say, this does not excuse the invasion of our office or the intimidation and harassment of our employees. The government should be resolute in defending the right to free speech and ensuring the conditions necessary for the development of civil society.