Operatives of the Department of State Service and soldiers attached to the security unit code-named Operation MESA on Saturday stormed the All Progressives Congress data centre in Lagos and arrested 25 data agents and three security guards.
It was learnt that the security agents also ransacked the duplex located on Ajibola Street, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, and confiscated computer hardware, which contained the data of APC members in several parts of the country.
All the rooms were turned inside out, while computer parts were scattered in the building.
It was learnt that the security operatives arrived at the centre as early as 6am and ransacked the building for about two hours before arresting those found on the premises.
According to sources, the DSS acted on a tip-off that the centre was allegedly being used as a warehouse by a former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, to produce and issue fake Permanent Voter Cards, while another version had it that weapons were being kept at the centre.
However, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lai Mohammed, said in a statement that the act was part of a ploy by the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government to intimidate the APC ahead of the 2015 elections.
Narrating what transpired, Mohammed said, “In the early hours of Saturday morning, a combined team of men of the DSS and OP-MESA stormed the Bola Ajibola Data Centre belonging to the APC in the Ikeja area of Lagos and arrested 25 APC data agents and three security guards.
“In what was a Gestapo-like operation, the APC membership data centre located at Number 10, Bola Ajibola Street, came under siege between the hours of 5.30am and 7.30am on Saturday.
“An operation of terror and brigandage was unleashed on a legitimate operation of a leading national party. They came without a search warrant for the premises.
“Over 50 security operatives drafted from Abuja operations blocked the two major street entrances to the APC data entry centre, pulled down the gates and spent over two hours ransacking and vandalising the centre. More than a dozen computers were destroyed. The server was also vandalised along with other equipment in the building.
“Just like the Watergate scandal in the USA, the state-sponsored security operatives, apparently acting at the behest of the ruling PDP government, turned the office upside down and pulled out and vandalised everything in sight.
“If the PDP-led government and the security agents had done due diligence and acted professionally, they would have known that the APC data centre is a legitimate operation and the (members of) staff are Nigerian youths who were left jobless by the Jonathan government.
“They chose to believe the lie that it was a warehouse belonging to one of the national leaders of the party where dangerous weapons were being kept, when in fact it is a centre for entering the data provided by the millions of Nigerians who registered as members of the party (APC) during its membership registration exercise.”
Mohammed said the DSS were acting on “weak and misinformed intelligence,” describing the incident as “the worst political scandal in Nigeria’s history.”
He maintained that the action must not go unpunished.
Also, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, in a statement on Saturday, described the raid by security operatives as “a bestial expression of the dangerous desperation with which the PDP wants to retain after wrecking the country and leaving it prostrate in sixteen years of tragic misrule.”
Igbokwe warned that Nigeria was “at the very precincts of a brute, callous and dangerous era occasioned by the deadly means a party that has failed Nigeria and humanity strives to retain power at all costs.”
The statement partly read, “Coming after the unsuccessful bid to remove the Speaker of the House of Representatives through an illegal police action, and the sponsoring of direct attack aimed at a takeover of the Ekiti State House of Assembly by seven out of the 26 members of the Assembly, we see PDP’s increasing resort to foul and illegal means as capable of destroying the fragile Nigerian democracy.
“While we join in the demand for an independent enquiry into the armed invasion of our data centre, we warn that nothing, not even the deployment of illegal brute force, should deter Nigerians from pursuing and securing change needed to recover a badly wrecked country in 2015.”
When newsmen contacted the Department of State Services for explanation on its action, the organisation’s Deputy Director, Public Relations, Marilyn Ogar, stated that the service received a petition that the building was being used to clone the Independent National Electoral Commission Permanent Voter Card, adding that the agency carried out an operation to investigate the allegation.
According to her, DSS operatives retrieved a server, three hard drives and 31 ‘Ghana must go’ bags of hard copies of data, adding that a number of people at the office were also arrested.
Ogar stated that the building had no sign to indicate that it was an APC office, noting that investigation had commenced.
She said, “Nobody knew it was an APC office because there was no sign to indicate that it was their office. Based on a petition that some people are cloning INEC Permanent Voters’ Card in the building at 10, Bola Ajibola Street, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, our personnel carried out an operation there this morning (Saturday) and recovered a server, three hard drives and 31 ‘Ghana must go’ bags filled with hard data, for analysis.
“We have commenced investigation and this would show whether the allegations in the petition are true or not. There was no sign that the building belonged to APC or any other party, it was when they got to the office after they recovered the data captured, that they learnt that the building was being used by the APC. We are being proactive on account of the security situation in the country, you know that the Boko Haram has been targeting Lagos and so, we cannot afford the petition lying low.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Police should have facts b4 taking such action. How can u just vandalize their equipments over false allegations? Security operatives are acting wrong nowadays. later some people will say they made one government ungovernable
ReplyDeleteThe Govt. Should do proper investigations into this. This is not how search is conducted.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the data agents diong in the office all through the night? Ok they are producing fake cards so that if INEC card-reader reject there card then they will raise alarm of rigging to cause problem
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm no comment for now 2015 is very close, let's see how it goes
ReplyDeleteI believ if BH was atacked when it was still a movement sponsored, nigerians would have reacted negatively. Every suspect should be well checked because there are many faces of terror.
ReplyDeleteThis is a shame. Why not go and ransack Sambisa forrest and bring back our girls. Marylyn Ogar, you again?
ReplyDeleteMerrilyn is a polotician and a PDP member. No wahala. Pls Madam DSS turnrd poltician, please direct your focus and energy towards sambisa and get these girls back. You have started again and you know it.
DeleteIf APC is doing this in good faith why do they operate their data centre in secrecy without signs. There is something fishy about what they are doing there. I knw hw these people operate here in lagos
ReplyDeletePDP still failing everyday. So in Nigerian security system there is no difference between search and vandalization. Can they Not investigate the allegation using spy first. Some people are hell bent to throw the country into chaos which will not benefit anybody. We shall see.
ReplyDeletehe he he he he... Security don bust Oluwole of APC ooooo... Cloning of INEC permanent voter cards na their joker o... That's why their governor has been combating INEC for removing those millions they inserted before... we dey look...
ReplyDeleteNigerian should think well before jumping to take side bcz I know with wot police has done in federal house of Assembly. it will be difficult for PDP to arrest 25 people with our a good reason
ReplyDeleteYou guys are talking as if you dont remember we are still in Nigeria where different kinds of weird things happen,where the president himself has the full right to do any illegal thing ,like instructing the Police force to stop a National speaker,by instructing the police force to withdraw his aides,and also asking OP MESA to vandalise the opposition's office,acting on a tip-off without any concrete evidence....this is becoming unbearable for everybody
ReplyDeleteThis GEJ is indeed tailing behind Abacha, OBJ's accusation of use of snipers is now making sense. Just the same way some bankers were illegally detained because he wanted to cage Lamido of Jigawa- he succeeded though. When is the use of crude investigation technique by SSS going to stop? There is God oh!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe very crude and bullying-style of our security operatives is what makes me wonder how uncivilized we still are. When you vandalize electronics data system, you can even destroy the very evidences you are looking for. They would have rather let them have access to the systems, in which case all data will remain intact and if nothing incriminating were found, the equipment will remain useful to the owners. So the approach is very uncivilized as it is destructive.
ReplyDeleteYou can see why we have problems in this country. You guys don't want to ask the relevant questions.
ReplyDelete(1) Why would a duely registered party choose to have one of its very important offices that houses very important sensitive data be operated in such a clandestine manner?
(2) Should the security operatives not already be informed of the existence of the center prior to its invasion?
(3) Is the protection of this center and its occupants not one of the social responsibilities of the security operatives?
(4)If the answer to Q3 above is yes,why were security operatives not guarding the office before this invasion?
(5)Was the office bearing any inscriptions of the APC? If not,WHY?
There may be other questions, but answers to this one will go a long way to unravel the mystery behind the invasion.
We also need to realise the implications of certain allegations. If truly agencies like the DSS have been hijacked by the politicians, then nobody is safe in this country anymore.
The BLOODS of DOGS & BABOONS must FLOW come 2015.
ReplyDeleteNIGERIANEYE.COM
DeleteThis Comment by Matosky is violent and extremely inciting and should be deleted immediately!!!
But why is there no APC signpost outside the house? Even illegal prostitution houses sometimes have signpost outside.
ReplyDeleteOluwole wing of the APC has been identified. Kudos to the joint operation. 2015 has to be free and fair. Even Lagos no sure again fo APC. One man one vote.
ReplyDeleteYou be original MUMU
DeleteWhy the vandalism? Do we have to act so primitively? Do you vandalize equipment simply because there is no APC written on the door? This is very stupid. It reinforces the long-held impression that our leaders lack intelligence and act very primitively all the time. For goodness sake, you don't destroy evidence,
ReplyDeleteyou don't destroy evidence, you preserve it. Bush people, bush leadership!
i tire o for dis con3
ReplyDelete