For allegedly assaulting and obstructing officers of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) from carrying out their official duties without any justifiable reason at the Lagos State House of Assembly, a Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday remanded three staff members of the House in the custody of the DSS.
Ibrahim Olanrewaju, Adetu Adekunle, and Fatimoh Adetola, listed as defendants in charge no. FHC/L/273C/2025, will remain in DSS custody until their arraignment tomorrow, February 26, 2025.
The defendants and others still at large are facing charges of conspiring to obstruct and assault security officers while they were on duty.
Justice Daniel Osiagor ordered the defendants to be remanded after the DSS counsel, Mr. Michael Bajela, requested their arraignment, but the judge chose to review the case file before proceeding.
According to the charges, the alleged offence took place on February 17, 2025, at the Assembly.
The DSS claimed that the defendants aided in obstructing officers.
They were also accused of cyberstalking, including recording and disseminating false information on social media to incite public disorder.
The agency further alleged that Olanrewaju and Adekunle used an iPhone 12 Pro Max, while Adekunle also used a Techno POP 8, to spread misleading content aimed at embarrassing the DSS and disrupting public order.
The offences violate Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and several provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended), 2024.
Persecondnews had reported that some staff of the Assembly, who were trying to gain access into the chamber on Monday, February 17, were involved in physical altercation with DSS Operatives, who claimed they were invited to maintain law and order.
One of the staff members was heard shouting, “You can’t kill us! This is the House of Assembly!” as they struggled to push and over power the security operatives.
He exclaimed: “What is happening here? We stand firm, this is the House of Assembly, for God’s sake! Nothing will happen, nothing will ever happen.”
The development comes amid a leadership crisis in the House following the removal of former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa in absentia by 32 out of the 40 members of the Assembly on January 13, 2025.
Meanwhile, Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Channels Television have issued public apologies to the Department of State Services (DSS) over their reports on the agency’s alleged involvement in the Assembly crisis on February 17.
They retracted their initial reports, clarifying that it was based on eyewitness accounts, admitting that the information was incomplete and inadvertently misrepresented the role of the DSS.
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