Some suspects at the Lagos State office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are feared missing after operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) prevented officials of the anti-graft agency from gaining access to their office in Ikoyi.
SaharaReporters learnt from top sources in both agencies that over 500 EFCC officials were locked out and prevented from resuming work on Tuesday due to office ownership disagreements.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the DSS stormed the Lagos office around 7:00 am on Tuesday and refused to leave despite dialogue between operatives of both agencies.
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters learnt that the officials of the EFCC were shocked by the action of the DSS officers.
However, government authorities have called both parties to a meeting to resolve the issue, a source said.
“The EFCC officers are shocked; they have been using the building for more than 20 years. Several suspects are there and there are fears that some might have been illegally released,” a top source said.
“They have summoned a meeting of both sides.”
Earlier, an official of the EFCC 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 had told The PUNCH.
Meanwhile, spokespersons for both agencies, Wilson Uwujare of the EFCC, and Dr Peter Afunaya of the DSS have yet to release official statements on the development.
