Ekiti Assembly Speaker Alleges Arrest of 4 Members by DSS

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Sunday, March 6th, 2016

Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja

The lingering war between Governor Ayodele Fayose and the Federal Government is gradually assuming a dangerous twist, as the Ekiti State House of Assembly has alleged the arrest of four of its members by the Department of State Services (DSS).

It also fingered President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly deploying state machinery to humiliate opposition, with intention to coerce members of the assembly to impeach Fayose.

The House, through its speaker, Hon. Kola Oluwawole, alleged the new plot was a desperate attempt by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilize Fayose’s government and forcefully remove him from the office.

Fayose has been a consistent critic of the Buhari-led government since he assumed office May 29, 2015.

At a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Saturday, Oluwawole, alleged the DSS operatives, numbering10, allegedly invaded the assembly complex on Friday’s evening and arrested the four lawmakers during the stampede.

He said he could only establish contact with Hon. Afolabi Akanni, representing Efon Constituency after six hours of his of arrest, while the whereabouts of others is still unknown.

The Speaker, however, refused to mention the names of three other lawmakers, whose whereabouts are still sketchy as at the time of filing this report.

Oluwawole added that the DSS operatives invaded the Assembly complex and shot sporadically into the air, causing panic among members and staff, who had to scamper in different directions.

The Speaker clarified that inquiry from the state office of the DSS confirmed that the operatives, who carried out the operation, were deployed from Abuja.

“At the end of the commotion created by this barbaric act, we discovered that four of our members could not be found.

“It was only this morning that we were able to establish that Hon. Afolabi Akanni, representing Efon Constituency was abducted and taken to Abuja. Whereabouts of three other members is still unknown as we speak, and reasons for the invasion and abduction of our members are not known.

“However, we got it on good authority that the script now being acted by the DSS is part of the APC and President Buhari’s clandestine plot to cripple the Ekiti State Government by arresting and detaining top functionaries of the government.

“We are aware that 18 of our members have been penciled down for harassment and the game plan is to harass them to submission, with a view to coercing them into signing an already prepared notice of impeachment of the governor and his deputy”.

“We therefore wish to tell the APC agents of political instability that this time around, this House of Assembly will not be available for any ungodly use”, he said.

The Speaker disclosed that the lawmakers are not afraid of persecution from government’s agency, including the DSS, stating that the level at which the Buhari’s government is allegedly scheming political vendetta and muzzling opposition, is dangerous to the survival of Nigerian democracy.

“Nigeria is not a banana republic that can be ruled anyhow by anyone and Mr. Lawal Daura (from Katsina) and his men, who are playing exactly the same role played between 1984 and 1985 by the National Security Organization (NSO) under Lawal Rafindadi (from Katsina) should know that this reign of brute force over constitutional democracy will fail”.