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- Wants Buhari’s intervention
The Director General National Taskforce for the Prohibition of Illegal Importation/Smuggling of Arms, Ammunition, Light Weapon, Chemical Weapon and Pipeline Vandalism (NATFORCE) Chief Osita Okereke OON has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene and prevail on the Department of State Security Services, DSS, and its lawyer Barrister Yahaya Olafawanju to desist from arresting and intimidating its personnel nationwide.
Chief Okereke who alleged this during a well-attended press conference in Abuja yesterday berated the DSS and its accomplice, Barrister Yahaya Olafawanju for arbitrary arrest of its personnel despite the fact that the matter is already before the courts of competent jurisdiction.
Chief Okereke also expressed shock at the wanton arrests, wondered why the DSS and its self-acclaimed lawyer should continue the incarceration of NATFORCE officials when the case in in Federal High Court, Kogi, Cross River and Benue states.
He gave the various Suit numbers as follows; HCL/M87/2019, in Kogi state, HC/MSC/175/2013, in Cross River and MHC/845M/2015 all between NATFORCE and the DSS.
According to Chief Okereke, “they arrested our staff and label them as terrorists. On 4th October, 2019, for instance, the DSS carted away our property in Kogi state and arrested our staff in the process.
“We are using this opportunity to appeal to Mr. President and the Director DSS, to call their men to order as we are law abiding citizens of this country. We are not and can never be a threat to national security.
“DSS operatives have violently and consistently raided our offices in Kogi, Cross River, Benue, among others intimidating and humiliating our personnel despite the fact that the matter is before courts of competent jurisdiction.
“They should stop invading our offices because we are not criminals. Security challenges in this country are too enormous for any security outfit to handle single handedly. What we need is synergy and inter agency cooperation of other sister agencies in order to tackle the menace. Witch-hunting and harassment of NATFORCE can never be the way to go. We are peace loving people and not trouble makers.
