‘Attacked Our Operatives!’ Court Remands Lagos Assembly Workers for ‘Assaulting’ DSS Officers

OwelekeTV News — The Federal High Court in Lagos has directed the detention of three officials of the Lagos State House of Assembly over allegations of assaulting operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Justice Daniel Osiagor issued the order on Tuesday, mandating the remand of Ibrahim Olanrewaju, Adetu Adekunle, and Fatimoh Adetola pending their formal arraignment scheduled for Wednesday.

The DSS accused the three officials of attacking its operatives while they were carrying out official duties.

Additionally, the security agency charged them with cyberstalking, alleging that they recorded and shared misleading information on social media to disrupt public order.

According to the DSS, the accused individuals “willfully misdirected electronic messages to social media platforms to discredit its personnel” who were deployed to the assembly complex on February 17.

During the court proceedings, Michael Bajela, the counsel representing the DSS, sought the arraignment of the defendants.

However, Justice Osiagor insisted on reviewing the case file before proceeding.

The incident stems from viral social media videos that surfaced on February 17, suggesting that DSS operatives had forcefully entered the Lagos State House of Assembly and disrupted legislative activities.

One of the videos showed DSS operatives engaging in a physical altercation with lawmakers, sparking widespread reactions.

However, subsequent reports revealed that the DSS was officially invited to the assembly complex by the acting clerk to maintain order.

This followed intelligence reports suggesting that Mudashiru Obasa, the ousted Speaker, intended to return to office on February 18, a move the lawmakers perceived as a security threat.

The Lagos Assembly crisis has been a subject of intense political debate, particularly since January 13, when Obasa was removed as Speaker while he was out of the country.

Mojisola Meranda was elected as his replacement, but upon his return, Obasa rejected the decision, arguing that due process was not followed and insisting he remained the legitimate Speaker.