A chaotic scene unfolded at the White House segment of the National Assembly on Friday morning when two senior staff members were brutally treated by Department of State Services (DSS) operatives.
According to eyewitness accounts, the incident occurred at around 11:45 am at the entrance linking the Senate new building and the White House. The two staff members, John Nnadi of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) and Chris Odoh, a Deputy Director, were stopped by DSS operatives while attempting to enter the White House segment. Despite showing their identity cards, they were rough-handled and physically assaulted by the DSS personnel.
The situation escalated when passersby tried to intervene, prompting the DSS operatives to call for reinforcement. Four additional personnel arrived, and the two staff members were dragged and pushed to the DSS office.
The incident sparked outrage among National Assembly staff, who gathered outside the DSS office, demanding the immediate release of their colleagues. The Mace bearer in the Senate joined the protest, threatening consequences if the two staff members were not released.
In an effort to calm the situation, the DPO in the National Assembly, Alex Annagu, and Deputy Clerk to the Senate (Legislative), Mrs. Ilobah Isabella, appealed to the crowd to return to their offices. However, John Nnadi, one of the brutalized staff members, stormed out of the DSS office, demanding that the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Alhaji Sani Magaji Tambawal, be notified of the injustice and intimidation.
The two staff members later went to the Clinic, and the crowd dispersed. The incident has raised concerns about the conduct of DSS operatives and their treatment of National Assembly staff.”
