EFCC Expresses Shock As DSS Denies Entry To Lagos Office In Unprecedented Siege

• The DSS has denied entry to EFCC operatives at its Lagos office on May 30, 2023.

• EFCC alleges that the DSS denied their operatives entry and barricaded the entrance with armored personnel carriers, affecting their operations.

• The incident may have wider implications for the nation’s fight against economic and financial crimes.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has expressed its surprise at the way operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) denied them entry into their Lagos office on May 30, 2023. While the DSS denied the allegation, EFCC insisted that they were denied entry.

This online media platform gathered that, Peter Afunanya, a spokesperson for the DSS, refuted the claims and said that the DSS was carrying out its operations in its own facility.

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In an official statement released by Wilson Uwujaren, Head of Media & Publicity at EFCC, he stated that the operatives of the Lagos Command of the commission arrived at their office on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, only to be denied entry by agents of the DSS.

This action is unusual given that both agencies have coexisted in the same facility for 20 years without incidents.

The siege has disrupted the commission’s operations in its largest hub with over 500 personnel, hundreds of exhibits and many suspects in detention.

Scheduled court hearings have been aborted, while many suspects invited for questioning have been left unattended.

The situation is even more alarming as suspects in detention are left without care, which has grave implications for their rights as inmates.

EFCC believes that this incident has wider implications for the nation’s fight against economic and financial crimes.

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They state that the siege is inconsistent with the expected synergy of government agencies working towards the same goals, especially when there are ongoing discussions on the matter.

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