…..Says DSS is committed to protecting citizens and sensitive government installations.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has denied the false publication by an online newspaper, Peoples Gazette, in which it quoted Amnesty International (AI) as stating that SSS abducted innocent Nigerians under the Buhari regime.
According to a press release on Wednesday, August 31st, 2022, signed by the Public Relations Officer, Department of State Services, National Headquarters, Peter Afunanya, Ph.D., fsi, said that whether reported by Peoples Gazette or Amnesty International, the service outrightly denies this misleading narrative as it does not abduct Nigerians.
The statement read, “As part of its enforcement activities, the DSS arrests when, where, and if necessary. This is evidently carried out in line with the tenets of democratic ideals. At no time has the agency embarked on its actions without following led-down procedures in respect of obtaining warrants of arrest or orders for detention from competent legal authorities. The claim of abduction or use of enforced disappearances is an absolute lie and a made-up narrative designed to bring the Service to disrepute.
“The DSS is law-abiding and committed to the protection of citizens and sensitive government installations. In doing this, it will continue to discharge its mandate of intelligence collection and timely dissemination of the same to relevant action agencies and stakeholders.
“Public attention should, however, be drawn to the deliberate and determined efforts of the publisher of People’s Gazette, Samuel Ogundipe, to use his platform to undermine law and order. He is known to have, on several occasions, engaged in false and distorted publications to disinform the public. He and his cohorts are hereby warned, for the umpteenth time, to desist from these deplorable acts against the peace and security of the nation. It is time for Ogundipe and others to choose logic over emotion, and patriotism over betrayal and treachery. Their continuous mischievous resolve to use fake news and hate speech to set the country on fire is condemnable.
“Media practitioners in the country should rise above parochial considerations, sanitize their fold, and fish out quacks among them. The media can also undergo peer review and embark on self-censorship as part of achieving professionalism in the industry. They must reject the allure of enticement by external forces to use them to instigate violence or undermine the government and its institutions. Otherwise, those who run foul of the law must be ready to face justice either now or in the future.
