The Department of State Services (DSS) has dismissed allegations made by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) that its officers unlawfully occupied the organization’s Abuja office.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the DSS described SERAP’s claims as “inaccurate and misleading.”
The DSS clarified, “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.”
The agency emphasized that the visit was part of routine procedures and in no way amounted to an “illegality or raid.”
The DSS further urged citizens to disregard what it referred to as false narratives, restating its commitment to professionalism in discharging its mandate.
It added, “The Service further wishes to state that such official enquiries and liaison are traditional and do not in any way amount to illegality or raid.”
The controversy arose after SERAP, a prominent civil society organization advocating for good governance, took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that officers of the secret police had unlawfully occupied their Abuja office, demanding to meet with the group’s directors.
SERAP called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene, stating: “President Tinubu must immediately direct the SSS to end the harassment, intimidation and attack on the rights of Nigerians.”
According to SERAP, the invasion followed their recent demand for the Nigerian government to reverse the hike in petrol prices and investigate alleged corruption within the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
In response, SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, condemned the incident, stating: “The invasion of our Abuja office by the DSS is a brutal assault on the entire human rights community in the country.”
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana also condemned the incident, saying: “The Tinubu government must urgently fish out the officers who carried out the invasion of SERAP’s office… The government must allow human rights defenders to freely carry out their work, consistent with the Nigerian Constitution.”
SERAP expressed concerns about the growing restrictions on civic space, noting, “The escalating crackdown on human rights, and harassment of NGOs… undermine access of Nigerian victims of human rights violations to justice, and contribute to a culture of impunity.”
The group warned that if the harassment continues, they would pursue legal action both nationally and internationally, stressing, “SERAP will continue to work to challenge any attempt to restrict, silence or eliminate the voices of credible civil society in the country.”