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DSS shields ex-boss from EFCC arrest

The Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday stopped operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting a former DSS Director General Ekpeyong…

The Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday stopped operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting a former DSS Director General Ekpeyong Ita.

Daily Trust gathered that DSS operatives thwarted effort by EFCC operatives from arresting Ita at his Abuja residence yesterday. 

An EFCC source told Daily Trust that Ita, who was the immediate past DG of the DSS is being investigated for offences bordering on alleged theft and diversion of public funds. 

It was learnt that detectives of the EFCC, armed with both arrest and search warrants, stormed the 46 Mamman Nasir, Asokoro, Abuja residence of the former DG at about 6am yesterday but were prevented from gaining entry by armed guards from the DSS. 

The source said shortly after the EFCC operatives arrived, the DSS reinforced its security presence at the property, with the deployment of about 30 armed operatives.

The source said, “I don’t know whether it is within their brief to prevent a law enforcement agency from executing arrest or search warrant on a property belonging to a retired staff of the agency.”

It added that, “The suspect in question is not a serving officer of the DSS, which makes this action particularly reprehensible.”

Daily Trust was unable to get an official response from the DSS yesterday.

The Service has not appointed a spokesperson to enable the media reach out with questions or seek clarifications on issues.

It was also learnt that a small contingent of EFCC operatives visited the house of a former Director General (DG) of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA) Ayo Oke.

They were said to have been sighted in front Ayo Oke’s Abuja residence about a hundred meters from Ita’s house.

Oke was sacked by President Buhari in controversial circumstances following the discovery of over N15 billion was discovered by the EFCC at the Osborne Towers in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Oke, then still the DG of NIA claimed the money belonged to the NIA and was stashed at the Ikoyi apartment for an undisclosed covert operation. 

Earlier this month, the EFCC said the DSS refused to release its personnel for questioning over investigation into the arms procurement saga.

The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren in a statement then said it was not strange for the EFCC to invite for questioning officers of other law enforcement agencies alleged to be complicit in any case being investigated by the Commission.

He clarified that there are protocols in doing this, “and part of that protocol is to write to the heads of such agencies, requesting that the officer(s) in question be released to be interviewed.”

He said, in the course of investigating the arms procurement scandal in the Office of the former National Security Adviser (ONSA) Col Sambo Dasuki, the Commission has had cause to request the release of officers of other security agencies.

He said these included, “the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air force, the Nigerian Navy and now the DSS, for questioning. All but the DSS have acceded to this request.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, the arms procurement investigation is national in outlook with alleged culprits cutting across the military, security establishments as well as the political class. It is not targeted at any institution,” he added.

He noted that, “The insinuation about a revenge-instigated investigation of the DSS by the EFCC over its role in the Senate refusal to confirm Ibrahim Magu as substantive chairman of the EFCC, is not only false, but pure mischief contrived for motives that are unclear.”

 

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