CONDEMNING DARING TERRORISM:
‘Nigeria’s Democracy, Freedom Shamelessly Assaulted by State Security Service’-Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly
*Says ‘No Arms or Stacks of United States Dollars found in Akwa Ibom Govt House’
*Security operatives damn Rule of Law, Attacks Official Residence of Executive Governor
*Breaks into Rooms, Guest Houses in Government House, Staged a coup d’état
*Damaged Valuables belonging to Government and People of Akwa Ibom State
*Flouts Section 308, Sub-section 1,2,3 of 1999 Constitution which says: “No civil or criminal proceedings shall be instituted or continued against the person to whom this section applies…”
*“President Buhari has promised me to speedily investigate this matter”-Gov. Udom
BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/CNN iReport NORTH AMERICA & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, NAIJA STANDARD
IN flagrant abuse of Nigeria’s Constitution and Rule of Law, Nigeria’s State Security Service, SSS, in a commando tactic akin to the military government invaded the hallowed chamber of Akwa Ibom Government House, home to sitting Governor of Akwa Ibom Governor, Deacon Udom Emmanuel on September 3, 2015; destroyed various properties, harassed, intimated employees, carted away valuables belonging to the government and people of Akwa Ibom State in broad day light where law and order ought to reign supreme. Ironically reminiscent of military era, same law enforcement agencies that were supposed to see to compliance of Nigeria’s Constitution, are same people that deliberately ‘shattered’ same law. What a tragedy!
Regrettably, SSS in its raid illegally assaulted the collective symbol of pride and the embodiment of confederacy of Akwa Ibom State to which parliamentarians in Akwa Ibom State of Assembly unanimously condemned as ‘Terrorism’.
In a press statement signed by the Speaker, and all members of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly made available to our correspondent by Akwa Ibom State Divine Mandate, states that: On Thursday, September 3, 2015, the very essence of our democracy and our freedom were shamelessly assaulted by terrorists masking as operatives of the department of State Security Service, otherwise known as SSS.
In broad day light and in a fully democratic country where the rule of law is sacrosanct; a special squad of the SSS consisting of operatives from Abuja and a detachment from Uyo, in a commando style, launched a brazen attack on the official residence of our Executive Governor, Deacon Udom
Emmanuel.
“During the raid, the rampaging SSS operatives broke into rooms and guest houses within the Government House, which is one of the strongest symbols of our confederacy and in the process damaged valuables belonging to the Government and people of Akwa Ibom State. Since the Constitution has clearly freed the Governor from being brought under court warrant in the discharge of his legitimate duties, it is on record that before embarking on that ill-advised operation, the SSS never
communicated with the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, who is also the chief security officer of the state, on why it was necessary to search his official residence in Uyo.
Flouts Section 308, Sub-section 1,2,3 of 1999 Constitution
“For the avoidance of doubt, Section 308 (1, 2, and 3) of the 1999 Constitution provides as follows:
(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Constitution, but subject to subsection (2) of this section:
a) No civil or criminal proceedings shall be instituted or continued against a person to whom this section applies during his period of office;
b) a person to whom this section applies shall not be arrested or imprisoned during that period either in pursuance of the process of any court or otherwise; and c) no process of any court requiring or compelling the appearance of a person to whom this section applies, shall be applied for or issued:
Provided that in ascertaining whether any period of limitation has expired for the purposes of any proceedings against a person to whom this section applies, no account shall be taken of his period of office.
(2) The provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to civil proceedings against a person to whom this section applies in his official capacity or to civil or criminal proceedings in which such a
person is only a nominal party.
(3) This section applies to a person holding the office of President or Vice-President, Governor or Deputy Governor; and the reference in this section to “period of office” is a reference to the period during which the person holding such office is required to perform the functions of the
office.”
This statement reads that “It is important to point out that immunity from prosecution and persecution
is a well-founded, well-reasoned concept, which has sundry benefits when applied honestly and carefully for the greater good of society. It thus means that a sitting state Governor or President of Nigeria, during the subsistence of term of office, must have a free hand to act boldly and
courageously for public good. In doing so, such a Governor or President would not be hindered by fear for self, for repercussion of actions embarked upon, for general public interest of a state or for clearly
defined national interests.
“Unfortunately, while the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Vice President as well as the Governors and Deputy Governors across the country are protected under Constitutional Immunity, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State has been singled out and stripped of this right which provided
for him under the law. We are firm in the belief that if the raid on the Hilltop Mansion was not
an act of felony, persecution and political vendetta, the DSS would have declared their mission before unleashing terror on innocent workers of Akwa Ibom State Government and or openly declare to the authorities in the state what they found and what they took away from our Government House.
'No arm or stacks of money found in Government House'
According to these parliamentarians, “It is only in the media that we get conflicting reports that stockpiles of arms and United States dollars where uncovered. As lawmakers and representatives of the people, we wish to place it on record that no arms or stacks of money were found in Akwa Ibom State Government House.
“We also condemn in the strongest terms, the illegal assault on the symbol of our pride and the embodiment of the confederacy of Akwa Ibom State in the Nigerian Federation by the Daura-led State Security Service. We, hereby challenge the Director General of the SSS, Alhaji Lawal Musa Daura, to tell the people of Akwa Ibom State, Nigerians and indeed lovers of democracy all over the world, why he ordered the ill-fated operation on the Akwa Ibom State Government House.
“The people of Akwa Ibom State will hold Mr. Daura and the SSS responsible if any unforeseen incident befall the Governor, his Deputy or key officials of Akwa Ibom State Government.
We, therefore, invite Nigerians from all walks of life to rise up and overwhelmingly challenge acts of impunity by the political class and security operatives in the country, including the State Security Service.
“We also invite President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the National Assembly to launch proper investigation into the ridiculous action of the SSS. We are shocked that the SSS which is currently purging officers it claimed to have shown unconcealed partisanship should descend so low to
the extent of staging a coup d’état on our governor, simply because he belongs to an opposition party.
Quoting Abraham Lincoln, a former American President, the statement read: “Among free men, there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet; and those who take such appeal are sure to lose their cause and pay the costs.”
The press statement conclude by saying: “Nigerians must resist the rising level of political intolerance and violence that ignore our laws, insult our common humanity and our claims to civilization. It is very unfortunate that the dominant political players who profess 'change and the rule of law' would willingly and so soon fail to walk the talk. They who accused others of impunity are now by their own conduct
condoning impunity.
“We advise that our politicking should exclude looking for scapegoats and or conspiracies, because at the end, violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation, and only genuine democracy, reconciliation and the rule of law would unite our country and prosper our people.
“As a people with an abiding love for our fundamental human rights and liberties as enshrined in the Constitution, we must not just show revulsion to the rape on Akwa Ibom State Government House.
We must as Nigerian make concrete commitment to work together, irrespective of our political, ethnic and religious backgrounds, to defeat the enemies of peace and the rule of law in our midst.
“It is, therefore, on this note that we pledge that the House of Assembly and indeed the people of Akwa Ibom State will take every necessary action within the law, to protect and preserve our federacy in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. May the spirit of democracy and good governance ring from north to south and from east to west.”
Reports matter to President Buhari
Governor Udom in another press statement to our correspondent few minutes ago explained that he has officially reported SSS lawlessness to President Muhammadu Buhari who has promised to speedily investigate this matter because he believes in the Rule of Law. His words: “I have just returned from Aso Rock to officially report SSS lawlessness to President Buhari. He has promised to speedily investigate this matter. He is the president of Nigeria, not the president of a particular party. We just have to be calm and see how will go about the matter. The President has promised to dispassionately look into this matter. He is on top of the situation.”
