Foiled Jail Break Is Being Politicised -DSS

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, Uncategorized Monday, March 31st, 2014

Kayode Adelowokan

The Department of State Service in Nigeria (DSS) has said the foiled jail break attempt by suspected insurgents at its detention facility in Abuja on Sunday is being politicised.

Deputy Director, Public Relations, DSS, Ms Marilyn Ogar

Expressing worries over publications that flooded social media on the issue, the Deputy Director, Public Relations, DSS, Ms Marilyn Ogar, said that such unconfirmed insinuations would do more harm than good.

Ogar, who was speaking during a television programme on Monday said, “Some people out there are politicising issues they should not politicise. There are so many versions out there and it makes me worried as to what we want our children to grow up to believing. When things happen in a system and all sought of insinuations or explanations are being given, it leaves a lot to worry about.

“That the State Security Service office (SSS) is close to the Presidential Villa does not mean we will not have issues. But for people to begin to dissemination information that the SSS office was invaded, it does not give a good impression. We must be careful of the news we send out to the international community.”

The DSS Deputy Director, Public Relations, explained that the suspects had planned to escape on a Sunday, having observed that fewer officials were usually present on such day.

“Keeping to the demands of human rights, the suspects are usually fed three times in a day and at 7:15 am, the suspect handler went in to give them their morning meal. As he finished and was leaving he was attacked on the head with the handcuff of one of the suspects. He fell and the suspect took his gun. What ensued after that is best imagined.

“Our weapon carries as much as 90 rounds of ammunition. When he seized the weapon he kept on firing sporadically and who ever came within that range got caught in the fire.

“The beauty of it all was that security forces and the service in particular were able to bring back the fleeing inmates. They did not succeed in breaking through our security system.

“Other security forces cordoned the whole place and made sure that those that had managed to get out of the premises were brought back in.

“About eight suspects refused to participate in the process and when questioned they had told the others that there was no way they would go out of the place successfully.

“The other fleeing suspects we brought back were 16,” she explained.

The DSS spokesperson also said that 21 persons on the part of the insurgents lost their lives and two of officials were seriously injured.

“After the suspect took the gun and started shooting, the backup operative first shot into the air to scare them. We tried to incapacitate the particular suspect to ensure that other inmates were not shot.”

She further explained that the dead suspects were shot at when they refused to surrender but continued to make attempts to escape.

Ms Marilyn Ogar, said that investigations were ongoing to determine the immediate and remote causes of the incident.

Ms Marilyn Ogar, however cautioned Nigerians on the dissemination of information without proper confirmation.

She stressed that the social media is meant to educate people on the positive ways of life and not to persuade people into believing lies. “I think we have one Nigeria and we do not have any other country we can call our own”, she added.

She cautioned, “If you seek to hold power or in a position of power and you think the only way you can undo the other person is by feeding the Nigerian people with lies, when you destroy the system, what will you come in to do?

“What we are going through today is what had happened in the past that we are trying to correct. We should be careful with the kinds of information we push out to the ordinary Nigerians who do not have the opportunities that we have when it comes to information management.”