Two senior staff members of the National Assembly were on Friday reportedly brutalised by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Trouble was said to have started around 11:45am when the two staff were asked to identify themselves as they made their way from the New Senate Building to the White House section of the Complex.
According to an eye witness account, the two staff, John Nnadi of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) and Chris Odoh, a deputy director, had flashed their Identity cards to the DSS operatives but were accused of not identifying themselves properly.
Being senior staff of NASS, attempts to proceed to the White House from the door linking the walk way linking the two edifices, were said to have been resisted by the DSS operatives.
The action of the DSS was said to have led to a scuffle and outright physical assault of the staff by the operatives.
It was learnt efforts by passers-by to resolve the crisis, had angered the DSS operatives who after being joined by four other operatives, descended heavily on the two affected staff by dragging Nnadi and pushing the Deputy Director (Chris Odoh) to their office at the White House.
The forceful movement and dragging of John Nnadi and Chris Odoh to the DSS office by its operatives from a distance of about 125 metres and the rising pandemonium, drew the attention of the staff of the Unity Bank and United Bank for Africa (UBA) as well as other employees of the Senate Public Accounts Committee and Journalists from the Senate Press Centre whose offices were along that route.
Not happy about the embarrassment of the two staff, other members of staff of the National Assembly from various offices at the White House, including a Sargent-At-Arms who often bears the mace during procession of presiding officers of the Senate spontaneously gathered at the front of the DSS’ office with a call on the operatives to allow the two victims go.
The Divisional Police Officer in charge of the the National Assembly, Alex Annagu and Deputy Clerk to the Senate (Legislative), Mrs Ilobah Isabella, later arrived at the scene and tried to calm the situation.
They appealed to the crowd to return to their respective offices.
While listening to the appeal from the DPO and Deputy Clerk, one of the affected staff John Nnadi stormed out of the DSS’ office, saying in a loud tone that the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Alhaji Sani Magaji Tambawal, must hear about the injustice and intimidation the DSS operatives had subjected him and the Deputy Director to.
His suggestion was spontaneously accepted by the crowd who joined him to march to the office of the CNA, chanting: “We no go gree o , we no go gree” for about 15 minutes before dispersing, since the CNA was said not to have been in the office at the time.
On getting back to the lobby, the DPO, further appealed to the victims and other staff that had gathered to allow peace to reign saying the police would investigate the matter to ascertain the cause of the misunderstanding and the subsequent action of the DSS operatives.
“My appeal to all at this point, particularly Mr John Nnadi, is that, we should all return to our offices while Nnadi and Odoh go to the Clinic for medical examination.
Gathering here and chanting solidarity songs will not right whatever wrong that might have been committed but going to the clinic for medical examination and possible establishment of any injury from the alleged assault, will help in establishing a case,” he said.
The assaulted John Nnadi who was later joined by Chris Odoh, thereafter, went to the Clinic, while the enraged crowd subsequently dispersed at about 12:35pm.
