DSS Blocks EFCC Lagos Office, Denies Officers’ Access

By Starrys Obazei | May 30, 2023.
starrys@ddnewsonline.com

Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, have stormed the Lagos office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preventing officials of the anti-graft agency from gaining access to their offices in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Sources revealed that there has been an ongoing rivalry between the DSS and the EFCC over the ownership of the building.

The DSS operatives stormed the office around 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday and refused to leave despite dialogue between operatives of both agencies, an impeccable source confirmed the development in a telephone interview with The PUNCH

An official of the EFCC who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, “There’s been a running battle between us and the DSS over who owns the office because the office was used by them before the EFCC came on board and it was handed over to us.

“But it’s been an administrative issue, and the matter is not in court and hasn’t caused any fracas before now. But we don’t understand why they have to block our office and deny our officials access when a new government just came in.”

“The office used to be ours, and we have been fighting over it for years now, and the EFCC knows,” a DSS source said.

Meanwhile, spokespersons for both agencies, Wilson Uwujare of the EFCC, and Dr. Peter Afunaya of the DSS did not respond to inquiries about the development.