Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has condemned the
Department of State Services (DSS) arrest and detention of the Managing
Director of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, Ifeanyi Ubah, lamenting that,
“the DSS is becoming law unto itself and dragging Nigeria back to 1984
when Decree 2 was used by the National Security Organisation (NSO) to dump Nigerians
in detention without trial under flimsy excuses.”
The governor, who described the DSS claim that it arrested
and detained Ubah for inciting members of the Petroleum Tanker
Drivers Union to stop lifting petroleum products so as to cripple the economy and
cause untold hardship to Nigerians as “nonsensical”, added that; “It is
becoming obvious that if nothing is done to curb the lawlessness of the
DSS, the agency will singlehandedly truncate democracy in the country.”
In a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, by his
Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka,
Governor Fayose said arresting and detaining Ifeanyi Ubah
for economic sabotage was a sad reminder of the President Muhammadu
Buhari’s
military regime.
military regime.
He said under the State Security Act CAP. N 74 LFN, 2004,
the responsibility of the DSS is majorly the prevention and
detection within Nigeria of any crime against the internal security of
Nigeria and the protection and preservation of all non-military classified matters
concerning the internal security of Nigeria, noting that the service has
abandoned its core duties.
“If Ubah is being held for allegedly inciting members of the
Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union to stop lifting petroleum products, one day
and very soon too, members of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural
Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior
Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) will be sent to jail for going
on strike to agitate for their welfare,” the governor said.
Governor Fayose, who said Nigerians did not vote for change
to be hounded by the DSS as it is being done since the emergence of this
All
Progressives Congress (APC) government, noted that; “That’s the same way the DSS arrested the former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel
Progressives Congress (APC) government, noted that; “That’s the same way the DSS arrested the former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel
Suswan in February and detained him until two days ago, claiming that he
constituted security risk and failed to cooperate with investigators.
“The other time too, this same DSS claimed that it uncovered
plot by the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike to disrupt governance
in strategic federal government agencies and one can begin to imagine
if the DSS won’t one day accuse whoever that is perceived as opposing
the APC-led government of coup plot.”
Speaking further, Governor Fayose said; “Nigerians should be
reminded that I raised alarm when this regime of impunity started with
the invasion of the Akwa-Ibom State government house and later the
Ekiti State House of Assembly. I did say then that democracy in Nigeria
was becoming unsafe in the hands of this APC government and that
those keeping silent because of politics might also end up in the belly
of the roaring lion that was threatening to consume our democracy.
“Those who ought to have joined in condemning the DSS
impunity at that time kept silent for fear of the unknown.
“Now it is Ifeanyi Ubah that they have visited with their
tyranny, who knows who will be next?
“Well-meaning Nigerians and the international community must
therefore raise their voice in condemnation of this regime of tyranny
being ran be the DSS.”
By Emmanuel Ani
