NGO Sues Nigerian Secret Police, DSS And Its Director General Over Alleged Infringement Of Fundamental Rights

Anon-governmental organisation, Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT), has sued the Department of State Services (DSS) and its director general over the ‘infringement of fundamental human rights of the NGO and its staff members’.

An originating motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/85/2023 at the Federal High Court in the Abuja Judicial Division has the DSS (also known as State Security Service) and its director general as respondents while the Incorporated Trustees of Network Against Corruption and Trafficking Foundation, Oghenedoro Tega Samson and Ojefia Ovie Justice are applicants in the infringement of the fundamental human rights case.

The court documents filed by Oghenovo Otemu Esq of the Oghenovo Otemu Chambers, Abuja, counsel for the applicants sought among other reliefs “a declaration that the repeated and constant harassment, intimidation and threat to arrest and indefinitely detain the applicants by officers and men of the respondents is illegal, unconstitutional, null and avoid as it is likely to violate the applicants’ fundamental human rights as enshrined under the section 34, 35, 36 and 41 of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents, their agents, officers, servants, privies, or howsoever called from arresting, detaining, intimidating and harassing the applicants on any fact connected with or related to the facts in this application. Such further order or other orders as this honourable court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of the case.”

Meanwhile, a press statement issued by the management of NACAT titled “SSS Is Conniving With Corrupt Civil Servants That Diverted Over N5 Trillion Against Our NGO Investigating Them”, obtained by SaharaReporters, alleged that the secret police were being used by corrupt civil servants to intimidate, harass, threaten and infringe of the rights of the organisation and its workers.

The NGO stated that the DSS was being used to wage war against its investigation team and noted that as an NGO, it has been at the forefront of investigating corrupt civil servants using companies owned by them to award inflated contracts to themselves. It said it was however shocked to discover that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) command of the DSS instead of supporting its efforts as an NGO, has become a willing tool in the hands of corrupt officials.

Narrating their ordeal in the hands of the officials of DSS, the NGO said, “On 13th January 2023, NACAT Director of Legal and Operations, Barrister Justice Ojefia was invited via call by the FCT command of the SSS. As a law-abiding, he honoured the invitation in less than one hour. While at the command, one of the officials, Mr. Etuk told him that our NGO is among those being profiled, to be sure that we do not use it to fund terrorism. After filling all the necessary forms and taking fingerprints, including photocopies, all our NGO documents and his call to bar certificate, he left them, only to be told to come with his international passport which he went with on 23rd January 2023.

“After making photocopies of it, the officer opened up to him that the National Security Adviser (NSA) wrote to them to investigate NACAT for writing letters to public office holders under the Freedom of Information Act, requesting for copies of their Code of Conduct Bureau Assets Declaration forms.

“Our legal director told them clearly that it is within our rights and mandate as an NGO to write such letters to anyone paid by the taxpayers, and that includes the SSS, which they affirmed. They requested that we furnish them all the letters we have written to public servants, EFCC, ICPC and CCB, an action our NGO director of legal vehemently kicked against.”