Arms deal: DSS refuses to release personnel for questioning – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said the Department of State Services (DSS) refused to release its personnel for questioning over investigation into the arms procurement saga.

EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said this in a statement yesterday, adding that it is not strange for the anti-graft agency to invite other law enforcement agents alleged to be complicit in any case being investigated by the commission.

He said there are protocols in doing this, “and part of that protocol is to write to the heads of such agencies, requesting that the officer(s) in question be released to be interviewed.”

He said, in the course of investigating the arms procurement scandal in the Office of the former National Security Adviser (ONSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki, the commission has had cause to request the release of officers of other security agencies.

He said these included “the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Navy and now the DSS, for questioning. All but the DSS have acceded to this request.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, the arms procurement investigation is national in outlook with alleged culprits cutting across the military, security establishments as well as the political class. It is not targeted at any institution,” he added.

He said “the insinuation about a revenge-instigated investigation of the DSS by the EFCC over its role in the Senate’s refusal to confirm Ibrahim Magu as substantive chairman of the EFCC is not only false, but pure mischief contrived for motives that are unclear.”

He said EFCC was drawn to a report captioned, “DSS, EFCC in fresh face-off over invitation of SSS operatives,” which appeared in a national daily newspaper (Not Daily Trust) of November 5, 2017.

He said the report painted a picture of an imaginary feud between the DSS and EFCC over the alleged invitation of some DSS operatives.

Uwujaren said the report claimed the investigation was an attempt by the Commission to “rubbish the Service since the DSS was not answerable to the EFCC.”

Daily Trust also contacted Uwujaren yesterday for more details but he declined to give more information beyond what was already in the EFCC statement.

Daily Trust was unable to get an official response from the DSS yesterday as the service has yet to appoint a spokesperson.