Ayo Ola
Amnesty International, an international rights group, and The Publish What You Pay (PWYP), a Civil Society Organisation, on Thursday, condemned the invasion of the office of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) located at 16, POW Mafemi Crescent, Off Solomon Lar, Jabi- Abuja allegedly by the Department of State Services (DSS)/State Security Services (SSS).
The Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa, popularly called Rafsanjani, had in a letter dated December 29, to the DSS/SSS Director-General, Yusuf Bichi, alleged that the operatives laid siege at the CISLAC office and insisted on seeing the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the organisation.
He, in the letter titled, “Intimidation and profiling of civil society groups during Yuletide,” described the action of the SSS operatives as “unprofessional.”
The National Coordinator, PWYP, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, in a statement, condemned the action allegedly by the DSS and raised the alarm that Nigerians now live in perpetual fears, anxiety and an unsafe atmosphere.
The statement was titled, “SSS invasion of CISLAC officer: An exercise in brinkmanship.”
Otitolaye said, “The Publish What You Pay (PWYP), Nigeria condemns in strong term the uncivilized invasion of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) located at 16, POW Mafemi Crescent, Off Solomon Lar, Jabi- Abuja by the State Security Services (SSS).
“This ugly incidences happened on Monday 27th, December 2021
“More worrisome is the brigandage and Nazis gestapo’s exigencies displayed by a national security agency that is supposed to be refined in their Operations.
“The PWYP is equally concerned that day by day, Nigeria security agencies, including the SSS, are provokingly assaulting law-abiding citizens. These uncontrolled primitive
activities have tremendously eroded the civic space in Nigeria.
“Citizens now live in perpetual fears, anxiety and unsafe atmosphere.
“CISLAC is an important member Organization of the PWYP, Nigeria; that has contributed immensely to the national discourse, policy reforms and citizens development.
“We hold the SSS and the federal government responsible for any assault to the Executive Director, Auwal Musa (Rafsanjani), other Staff and volunteers of CISLAC.”
He added, “We wonder why the SSS would not be directing her energy and state resources been wasted to hunt productive citizens, to the killings, kidnappings, rapes across the country especially the North East and North West. Every part of Nigeria is unsafe.
“The country is gradually relapsing to total anarchy amidst national insecurities and the insensitivity of the government to her responsibility to protect lives and properties.
“We demand a transparent investigation and punitive actions into this unprofessional conduct and ambush to CISLAC’s office. It is an exercise in brinkmanship reminiscences to Hitlerite military gestapo’s fashion of Germany’s Nazis era.”
Also, Amnesty International in a post on social media, said the alleged act of DSS was unlawful.
It said, “Amnesty International is deeply concerned over the invasion of the office of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) by DSS operatives.
“It is shocking that a law enforcement agency acted without respect for the rule of law. This is yet another sign of Nigerian authorities’ escalating clampdown on civil society organisations.
“We condemn this brazen attempt by the DSS to intimidate CISLAC, which has consistently exposed corruption and demanded accountability.
“Nigerian authorities must end this dangerous trend of using agencies like the DSS to silence its critics and target human rights defenders.”