The Department of State Service (DSS) has dismissed reports that its operatives were involved in the arrest of the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (ACC) in the 2023 election, Omoyele Sowore.
OsunDailyNG reported that Sowore was apprehended on Sunday morning at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Sowore also revealed on his official X account that he had been detained by the Nigerian Immigration Service and had his international passport confiscated.
However, a top official at the DSS headquarters who spoke to Daily Trust, said the service was not involved in Sowore’s arrest.
The senior officer said Sowore’s name, which was on the secret police watchlist before, had since been removed.
According to the secret police source, the clarifications became imperative due to reports in some sections of the media that had since gone viral that its operatives were involved.
The officer added that they would not hesitate to use all legal means in their operations if they have any axe to grind with any individual.
The source said, “See, what I can tell you is that the name of the man in question was on our watchlist before, but we had since removed it.
“Our new DG is determined to reform and reposition the Department of State Service (DSS) as a responsible and responsive organisation.
“In that case, I want to state categorically that our officers were not involved in his arrest, so, Nigerians should discard the fake news of the DSS’ involvement.”
