The State Security Service (SSS) has issued a statement clarifying its recent visit to the office of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in Abuja.
On Monday morning, two SSS officials visited SERAP’s office, sparking concern among Nigerians who feared it was an attempt to intimidate the civil society group.
The visit occurred shortly after the SSS arrested Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, leading to heightened anxiety about a potential crackdown on civic organizations.
The SSS, also known as the Department of State Services (DSS), addressed the situation on its official website.
The agency described the visit as a routine investigation rather than an invasion.
“The Department of State Services (DSS) has been inundated with multiple inquiries on its alleged unlawful invasion of SERAP offices in Abuja and Lagos,” the statement said.
The SSS emphasized that the two operatives sent to SERAP’s office were unarmed and their presence was part of a standard procedure for official investigations.
“This narrative is inaccurate and misleading in its intent,” the statement continued. “For the records, a team of two unarmed Service operatives were lawfully detailed on routine investigation to SERAP office in Abuja, which has sadly been skewed and misinterpreted as unlawful, harassment, and intimidation of SERAP officials.”
According to the SSS, such visits are part of traditional practices and do not constitute an illegal raid.
The agency also noted that it would investigate the “malicious contents” surrounding the incident and urged the public to disregard what it described as false narratives.
“The DSS, therefore, urges the public to disregard these false narratives as it restates its commitment to utmost professionalism in the discharge of its core mandate,” the statement added.
SERAP, a prominent civil society organization, had previously called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the recent increase in petrol prices by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
SERAP’s statement highlighted that the SSS visit came shortly after its demand for the government to investigate alleged corruption and mismanagement within the NNPC.
SERAP detailed the encounter in a statement, noting that a “tall, large, dark-skinned woman entered our office, accompanied by a slim, dark-skinned man.”
The organization also reported seeing other officers in two unmarked vehicles stationed outside their office.
The SSS officials, according to SERAP, requested to see the directors of the organization but did not provide a clear reason for their visit.
SERAP has characterized the SSS’s actions as an attempt to intimidate and silence them, linking the visit to their recent public criticism of the government.
In response, the SSS reiterated that its visit was routine and within its legal rights.
The SSS has assured that its operations adhere to legal standards and that it remains committed to professional conduct in its duties.
