A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the detention of three staff members of the Lagos State House of Assembly in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) over an alleged assault on its officers.
The workers, identified as Ibrahim Olanrewaju, Adetu Adekunle, and Fatimoh Adetola, were remanded following a request by the DSS to arraign them before the court.
The court’s ruling came after the DSS had arrested the three Assembly staff members for interrogation over an incident that occurred on February 17, 2025. The agency had reportedly stormed the House of Assembly, claiming to be acting on an official invitation when a confrontation ensued.
The presiding judge, Justice Daniel Osiagor, ruled that the defendants be remanded in DSS custody pending their formal arraignment scheduled for tomorrow. The judge stated that he needed to review the case file before proceeding further with the trial.
DSS Charges Assembly Workers with Cyberstalking and Conspiracy
The DSS, in a charge sheet dated February 24, 2025, accused the defendants—along with others still at large—of conspiracy, obstruction of duty, and cyberstalking. The agency alleged that the three defendants deliberately obstructed its officers while they were carrying out official duties, without any lawful justification.
Additionally, the DSS charged the defendants with cyberstalking, accusing them of recording and disseminating false information on social media. According to the agency, the recorded messages were circulated nationwide, allegedly aimed at causing public disorder and embarrassing the security service.
The DSS also accused Olanrewaju and Adekunle of using an iPhone 12 Pro Max to record misleading information and share it on social media, while Adekunle was said to have used a Techno POP 8 for similar purposes. The charges against them include violations of Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, as well as Sections 27(1)(b), 24(1)(b), 24(c)(i), and 11 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended), 2024.
PASAN Condemns Arrest, Calls for Release of Members
Following the arrests, the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) has strongly condemned the detention of its members, demanding their immediate release. The Lagos State PASAN Chairman, Mr. Babatunde Ogunlana, addressed a gathering of Assembly staff and the media at Alausa, Ikeja, criticizing what he described as an abuse of power by the DSS.
“On February 17, our staff members, the Sergeant-at-Arms department and a public affairs officer, who prevented the DSS operatives from entering the chambers with their firearms, were picked up last Friday on their way from work. The two of them, Adetu Adekunle and Adetola Oluwatosin, were intercepted around the 7UP area of Lagos and allegedly whisked away by DSS operatives,” Ogunlana stated.
He further revealed that another staff member, Mr. Ibrahim Adullakeem, was arrested at his residence the following day and taken into custody. “They were detained on Friday and were released late on Saturday night, only to be rearrested on Monday and charged to court,” he added.
Ogunlana decried the arrests as “a humiliating abuse of power and a gross violation of the rights of staffers who were simply performing their statutory duties.” He called on the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Lagos Assembly Leadership Weighs In
In response to the ongoing controversy, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy, and Security, Mr. Stephen Ogundipe, acknowledged the concerns raised by PASAN and assured that efforts were being made to resolve the issue.
“We are all together in this struggle, and we know that whatever happens to the staff is because they were protecting us here. We have related the message to Madam Speaker,” Ogundipe stated.
He confirmed that the Assembly leadership was shocked by the arrests and had since reached out to the DSS to gain access to the detained staff members. Additionally, the matter had been escalated to national leaders for intervention.
“I can assure you that this will be the end. If our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has sent delegates from Abuja to intervene, I can assure you that this would be the end,” Ogundipe assured.
He urged members of the Assembly and PASAN to remain calm and act within the confines of the law while efforts to secure the release of the detained staff continue. “We should not take laws into our hands. We should civilly conduct ourselves, and we will not relent until those people are released,” he said.
The case has stirred reactions within political and legal circles, with concerns over the growing tensions between security agencies and public institutions. The outcome of the court hearing scheduled for tomorrow is expected to determine the next course of action in the ongoing legal battle.
