DSS Operatives Allegedly Brutalise Two National Assembly Staff
There was commotion at the National Assembly yesterday, when two senior parliamentary staff members were allegedly brutalised by security operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS), attached to the apex legislative institution in the country.
The incident which degenerated to a protest according to eye witnesses, occurred at about 11:45am at the gate which linked the Senate new building and the white House.
The two senior staff members, namely John Nnadi of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) and Chris Odoh, a Deputy Director, were said to have flashed their Identity cards to the DSS operatives on their way into the premises.
An eye witness, an accredited journalist, covering the National Assembly (names withheld), who was at the scene of the incident, said the DSS operatives manning the gate, claimed that the staff members did not identified themselves properly when they were stopped.
Attempts made by the senior staff members to proceed to the White House segment from the Senate new building were forcefully blocked by the DSS operatives.
The development was said to have resulted into rough handling from both ends and outright physical assault from the DSS operatives.
Efforts by passersby including the journalist to resolve the crisis, allegedly infuriated the DSS operatives.
The secret police officers were said to have been joined by other security agents to descend heavily on the two affected staff by dragging John Nnadi and pushing the Deputy Director (Chris Idoh) to their office at the White House.
The forceful dragging of Nnadi and Odoh to DSS office by the operatives, a distance of about 125 metres, drew the attention of other staff members and other sympathisers, whose offices were along the way.