Senate faults inter-agency rivalry between EFCC, DSS, NIA

The Senate on Wednesday condemned the crisis between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with both the Directorate of State Security, (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), following both attempt to arrest the former Director General of the DSS, Mr. Ita Ekpeyong and his counterpart in NIA, Mr. Ayo Oke.

The federal lawmakers also describe the incident as embarrassing.

Lamenting on the development, the Senate said what happened had indicated that no one is in charge in the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Senate, against this background, indicated its resolve to set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the inter-agency crises.

The upper chamber took the resolution after adopting a motion of urgent national importance raised under Order 42 of the Senate Standing Rule by Senator Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi West).

Presenting the motion, Melaye said “Nigeria is embarrassed before the international community by the alleged denial of the EFCC operatives from arresting the former heads of DSS and NIA by their officers”.

Against this background, the Senator urged the Senate to intervene to save Nigeria further embarrassment in view of the implication of crises between the EFCC and other security agencies to national security.

Melaye added, “Our responsibility as a Senate is to ensure the respect for rule of law.

The media have been awash with the embarrassing situation that happened on Tuesday.

Melaye further said, “The EFCC went to the resident of the former DG of the DSS, Mr. Ita Ekepyong, to effect arrest and the men of the DSS stopped the EFCC from arresting him.

“The development created gridlock in the area as people living in there were either not allowed to gain entrance to their residents or to move out.

“Same yesterday, the EFCC was stopped from arresting the former DG of NIA, Mr. Ayodele Oke, and the officers of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency stopped that arrest.

“We will recall that the same DG, DSS, had written this Senate before now on the Acting Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu.

“We are not here to lay blame on anyone but to say that Nigeria has been embarrassed before the international community for two sister agencies to be involved in fisticuffs”.

Melaye, said since Nigeria was not a banana republic, it was incumbent on the Senate to ensure that laws and order are maintained by all so as to avoid threat to national security in the country.

He stressed further,, “if two security agencies will engage in this shameful act, which involves threat to life, what will happen when two civilians are fighting

“This matter should not be taken lightly as we cannot allow Nigeria to be ridiculed on a daily basis by those who are supposed to defend her integrity.

“I call on the Senate to investigate this matter and ask the leadership to wade into the situation immediately.’’

The Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti South), while contributing to the motion, described the development as unfortunate, stressing that the scenario had proved that nobody was in charge of anything in the country.

She said, “This is the first time we are witnessing gross irresponsibility in government”.

Olujimi, who described the face-off as a shameful act, said: “We never thought a day like this will come but we saw it coming. Right now, we have a situation where no one is in charge of anything”.

“The truth is that you cannot go to the house of a security agent, a man who had kept the secret of this country and arrest him like a chicken.

“Remember we rejected Magu, but he is still there. The senate is being defied; the Presidency has to be called to order. Somebody has to be in charge’’.

But in what seemed like a swift response to the submission by Senator Olujimi, the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe North) said President Muhammadu Buhari was in full control of the government.

Lawan said “even when President Buhari travelled out for medical checkup, the vice president, who was the acting president then, was in charge of government”.

“In my opinion, could it be that the EFCC did not get the right document to effect arrest and if they did, our investigation will reveal’’.

The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, urged the lawmakers to allow an ad-hoc committee probe the development to verify the cause of the problem, while not subjecting the development to mere assumptions.

Saraki, however, indicated that an ad-hoc committee, which members are yet to be named would be set up to probe the incident and report to the Plenary in the next two weeks.

Olufemi Samuel, Francesca Iwambe, Abuja and Peter Fowoyo, Lagos