The Department of State Services (DSS) has denied allegations that its operatives raided the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) headquarters in Abuja. This response follows claims from the NLC that secret police operatives invaded their office and took away certain documents on Wednesday.
According to the NLC, the operatives arrived at the Labour House around 8:30 PM. The union reported that the security operatives, including personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, individuals in black tee-shirts presumably from the DSS, and others in plain clothes, entered the building. They allegedly arrested the security guard on duty, took him to the second floor, and demanded the keys to the offices. When the guard stated he did not have the keys, the operatives reportedly broke into the floor and ransacked the bookshop, taking away hundreds of books and other publications. The NLC claimed the operatives said they were searching for seditious materials related to the #EndBadGovernance protests.
Benson Upah, head of Media and Public Relations for the NLC, condemned the raid, stating, “The armed security operatives showed no legal document permitting them to invade the premises of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the ungodly hours of the night. Even in the dark days of military rule, NLC secretariats were never invaded and ransacked by security agents. Today is indeed a very sad day for our democracy.” The NLC also indicated that it could not immediately determine the full extent of items taken from its offices.
In a statement issued on Thursday, DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya refuted the NLC’s claims, asserting that DSS personnel were not involved in any operation at the NLC office. “Good morning dear friends. Please kindly note that the Service (DSS) did not carry out any operation at the NLC office in Abuja,” Afunanya stated on the agency’s X handle.
