Ifeanyi Ubah’s arrest: Fayose attacks DSS

– The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Mr I feanyi Ubah

– DSS arrested Ubah for for stealing and diversion of petroleum products worth N11bn

– Governor Ayodele Fayose has faulted the arrest

– Fayode says the DSS has become law unto itself

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state has condemned the Department of State Services (DSS) over the arrest and detention of the Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, Ifeanyi Ubah

. Fayose lamented that: “The DSS is becoming law unto itself and dragging Nigeria back to 1984 when Decree 2 was used by the National Security Organisation (NSO) to dump Nigerians in detention without trial under flimsy excuses.”

Daily Post reports that the governor described the DSS claim that it arrested and detained Ubah for inciting members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union to stop lifting petroleum products so as to cripple the economy and cause untold hardship to Nigerians as “nonsensical”.

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Fayose added that: “It is becoming obvious that if nothing is done to curb the lawlessness of the DSS, the agency will singlehandedly truncate democracy in the country.”

The governor made the assertion on Wednesday, May 10. He made the statement through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka.

Governor Fayose said arresting and detaining Ifeanyi Ubah for economic sabotage was a sad reminder of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s military regime.

He said under the State Security Act CAP. N 74 LFN, 2004, the responsibility of the DSS is majorly the prevention and detection within Nigeria of any crime against the internal security of Nigeria and the protection and preservation of all non-military classified matters concerning the internal security of Nigeria, noting that the service has abandoned its core duties.

“If Ubah is being held for allegedly inciting members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union to stop lifting petroleum products, one day and very soon too, members of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) will be sent to jail for going on strike to agitate for their welfare,” the governor said.

Governor Fayose, who said Nigerians did not vote for change to be hounded by the DSS as it is being done since the emergence of this All

Progressives Congress (APC) government, noted that: “That’s the same way the DSS arrested the former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel

Suswan in February and detained him until two days ago, claiming that he constituted security risk and failed to cooperate with investigators.

“The other time too, this same DSS claimed that it uncovered plot by the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike to disrupt governance in strategic federal government agencies and one can begin to imagine if the DSS won’t one day accuse whoever that is perceived as opposing the APC-led government of coup plot.”

Speaking further, Governor Fayose said: “Nigerians should be reminded that I raised alarm when this regime of impunity started with the invasion of the Akwa-Ibom state government house and later the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

“I did say then that democracy in Nigeria was becoming unsafe in the hands of this APC government and that those keeping silent because of politics might also end up in the belly of the roaring lion that was threatening to consume our democracy.” “Those who ought to have joined in condemning the DSS impunity at that time kept silent for fear of the unknown.

“Now it is Ifeanyi Ubah that they have visited with their tyranny, who knows who will be next?

“Well-meaning Nigerians and the international community must therefore raise their voice in condemnation of this regime of tyranny being ran be the DSS.”

The chairman of Capital Oil and Gas limited, Ifeanyi Ubah has described his arrest by the Department of State Services as a complete attempt to blackmail him.

plusmilang.com gathered that the oil magnate said the claim by the DSS that he was involved in theft of petrol kept by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, in his tank farm in Lagos was a wrong accusation.

Ubah said his arrest by the DSS was a breach of his fundamental right to liberty, freedom of movement and association.

The statement signed by the management of the company said all the allegations leveled against their boss, Ubah were false and unfounded.

The statement read in part: “The incarceration of our Chairman by DSS is unlawful, a disregard for the rule of law and a breach of Dr. Ubah’s fundamental right to liberty, freedom of movement and association.

“A similar invitation was extended to Dr. Ubah on the 24th of March 2017, which he honoured as a law-abiding citizen only to be detained in DSS offices in Abuja for almost a month.”