The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the remand of three workers from the State House of Assembly for allegedly assaulting officials of the Department of State Services (DSS).
On Tuesday, February 25, Justice Daniel Osiagor directed that Ibrahim Olanrewaju, Adetu Adekunle, and Fatimoh Adetola be held in custody pending their arraignment on Wednesday, February 26.
The DSS charged the trio with offenses related to the alleged assault on its officials while they were on official duty. The agency also accused them of cyberstalking, recording, and circulating false information on social media to disrupt law and order in the country. According to the DSS, the three workers engaged in “willful misdirection of electronic messages to social media to embarrass its officials” while the DSS was on duty at the Lagos assembly complex on February 17.
When DSS counsel Michael Bajela approached the court for their arraignment, Justice Osiagor stated that he needed to review the case file before proceeding.
On February 17, videos began circulating on social media showing DSS operatives inside the Lagos assembly complex, leading to allegations that they had obstructed lawmakers from holding a plenary session. One video showed DSS operatives in a physical altercation with lawmakers, sparking mixed public reactions.
Further details revealed that the DSS had been officially invited to the assembly complex by the acting clerk to maintain order after intelligence suggested that Mudashiru Obasa, the ousted speaker, planned to return to office on February 18. The assembly believed his return posed a security risk.
The Lagos assembly has remained in the spotlight since Obasa’s removal as speaker on January 13 while he was out of the country, and the election of Mojisola Meranda as his replacement. Upon his return, Obasa refused to accept his removal, insisting that due process had not been followed and declaring himself the legitimate speaker of the house.
