Early Friday morning, chaos erupted at the National Assembly Complex when two senior staff members were assaulted by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). The incident occurred because the staff allegedly did not properly identify themselves at the second gate of the complex.
The staff involved were Chris Odoh, a Deputy Director, and John Nnadi, from the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream). The trouble began at approximately 11:45 am when the DSS operatives, who have been assigned to oversee security at the entire National Assembly Complex, asked them for identification. The DSS claimed that Odoh and Nnadi did not adequately identify themselves and merely "flashed their identity cards" at the gate.
When Odoh and Nnadi attempted to proceed to their offices in the White House section of the National Assembly Complex, the DSS operatives forcefully blocked their way. This led to a heated altercation, during which the DSS officers assaulted the staff. Other workers watched helplessly as the situation unfolded.
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Attempts by passersby to intervene only escalated the situation. The DSS operatives, already agitated, were joined by four more of their colleagues. Together, they began rough handling the staff and anyone else who tried to mediate. The operatives dragged Odoh and Nnadi from the linking point, covering a distance of about 125 meters.
The incident attracted the attention and sympathy of employees from the Unity Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, and journalists in the Senate Press Centre, whose offices were nearby. Disturbed by the scene, staff from various offices within the White House section of the National Assembly, including the Mace Bearer in the Senate, gathered spontaneously in front of the DSS office to demand the immediate release of their colleagues.
It took the intervention of the Divisional Police Officer of the National Assembly, Alex Annagu, and the Deputy Clerk of the Senate, Legislative, Mrs. Ilobah Isabella, to calm the irate workers. They appealed to the crowd to return to their offices and assured them that the situation would be resolved.
However, the tension did not immediately dissipate. Amidst the crisis, John Nnadi stormed out of the DSS office, which is located underground, and began shouting solidarity songs. His defiance was met with enthusiasm from other workers who were still lingering to witness the outcome of the confusion. Chanting "We no go gree o, we no go gree," the irate staff marched towards the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly to express their grievances. Unfortunately, the Clerk had not yet arrived, and the crowd was eventually dispersed by the DPO, who continued to appeal for calm.
This incident has highlighted ongoing issues within the National Assembly. For the past two weeks, the National Assembly management has replaced its official security arm, the Sergeant-at-Arms, with DSS operations.
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