On Friday morning, two senior staff of the National Assembly were attacked by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, for reportedly not properly identifying themselves at the second gate of the Complex.
The staffs in question were Chris Odoh, a Deputy Director, and John Nnadi, of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), and they both ran into trouble with the DSS operatives drafted to guard the entire National Assembly Complex.
According to reports, the incident at about 11:45 am, when both men were asked to identify themselves at the gate.
The DSS officers had claimed that the staff had not properly identified themselves as they had “just flashed their identity card at the gate”.
Owing to this, the operatives, thereafter, forcefully blocked the staff when they made attempts to proceed to their offices at the White House, a section of the National Assembly Complex.
But an altercation had ensued, leading to an assault on the staff’s by the security operatives.
Efforts made by passersby to resolve the situation angered the DSS operatives, who after being joined by four of their colleagues, started rough handling the staff and any other person that tried to broker peace.
Thrown off by the embarrassing scene, the staff of the National Assembly including the Mace Bearer in the Senate, automatically gathered at the front of the DSS office to call for the immediate release of the two staff, who were eventually let go but not before the Divisional Police Officer of the National Assembly, Alex Annagu, and the Deputy Clerk of the Senate, Legislative, Mrs Ilobah Isabella, staged an intervention.
What This Means
Within the past two weeks, the National Assembly management has reportedly, replaced its official security arm, Sergeant-at-Arms, who were familiar with the staff, the legislative aides and other personnel, entering the premises. Now these new DSS operatives have been steadily having daily altercations with those accessing the Complex.
The assault on two senior staff by DSS operatives at the National Assembly is significant because it highlights serious security issues and potential abuse of power. It disrupts the legislative process and shows a lack of respect and communication between security and staff. This incident in summary, shows the need for accountability and proper conduct to maintain public trust in government operations.
