The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Lagos office has been besieged by agents of the Department of State Security (DSS), according to newly released information.
According to Punch, when the DSS agents arrived at the EFCC office in Ikoyi at around 7:00 am, they forbade the anti-graft organization’s employees from entering the structure.
The DSS personnel reportedly ringed the entire facility with their armored vehicle in front of it, according to Vanguard.
Both authorities have been at odds regarding who is the rightful owner of the structure, according to sources at the scene of the incident.
An EFCC officer who asked to remain anonymous 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.”
Another unnamed DSS agent said that the office had previously belonged to them and that the EFCC was aware of this.
As of the time of this article, attempts to contact the EFCC and DSS spokespeople were unsuccessful.