THE NIGERIA Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly upbraided the conduct of the Department of State Services (DSS) during the arrest of activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore at the Federal High Court in Abuja, describing the agency’s actions as unnecessary, intimidating and detrimental to democratic institutions.
In a statement signed by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the labour centre expressed dismay over the manner in which DSS operatives took Sowore into custody, saying the incident created a rowdy scene that was unbecoming of a professional intelligence agency.
According to the NLC, the conduct of the operatives, which included what it described as “bullish behaviour,” mass intimidation and the public humiliation of Sowore, was embarrassing for an organisation expected to operate with sophistication and restraint.
The Congress stated that there was no justification for the dramatic nature of the arrest, questioning the motive behind the display.
“We are opposed to this kind of drama by our Secret Service as there was no need for it,” the statement said.
Beyond the circumstances surrounding the arrest, the NLC raised concerns about the DSS’s role in the case, arguing that the agency appeared to have assumed multiple functions as both accuser and custodian of the accused.
The labour body maintained that matters of prosecution should ordinarily be handled by the Ministry of Justice, particularly the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, rather than by a security agency taking on what it described as an expanded role.
Ajaero said it was troubling that the DSS appeared to have departed from its constitutional responsibilities, which he said include safeguarding national security and protecting the interests of the Nigerian state.
The NLC argued that the agency’s actions risked creating the impression that it was acting to protect specific individuals or governments rather than the broader interests of the state.
“When the DSS goes into an overdrive to protect an individual or government at the expense of the state or a party presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of jurisdiction, that will be at variance with their oath of office,” the statement noted.
The Congress emphasised that the Nigerian state remains superior to any individual or administration and urged security institutions to remain guided by constitutional principles and the rule of law.
Drawing a historical parallel, Ajaero referenced the Watergate scandal in the United States, where investigative journalism and law enforcement actions ultimately led to the resignation of former President Richard Nixon.
He said the episode demonstrated the importance of strong institutions capable of holding powerful individuals accountable.
The NLC further warned against the concentration of power in individuals, arguing that democratic governance thrives when institutions are allowed to function independently and professionally.
“We need strong institutions and not strong individuals for our democracy to survive,” the statement said, adding that attempts by state institutions to outdo one another in seeking presidential approval could undermine Nigeria’s democratic development.
The labour centre urged public institutions, particularly security agencies, to act within the limits of their constitutional mandates and to respect the rights of citizens while carrying out their duties.
The full statement reads:
RESPECT RIGHTS OF OTHERS
We are appalled by the conduct of the DSS at the Federal High Court, Abuja while taking into custody Mr Omoyele Sowore.
The rowdy scene, bullish behaviour, the mass intimidation by the personnel and the humiliation of Sowore were totally unnecessary and embarrassing to an organisation that carries with it a certain level of sophistication or elegance.
We are opposed to this kind of drama by our Secret Service as there was no need for it. Who were they re-enacting this for, anyway?
Beyond this, we are worried by the interest of the DSS in this matter and the way it has prosecuted it as the accuser and the jailer.
We have the Ministry of Justice or precisely, the Attorney General of the Federation to care for matters of this nature.
It is saddening to note that the DSS has taken upon itself a role that portrays it as an ingratiating agency, a departure from the one vested on it by the constitution that empowers it to monitor all (including Mr President) and act in a manner (through pre-emption or otherwise) to preserve the state or its interest.
When the DSS go into an overdrive to protect an individual or government at the expense of the state or a party presumed to be innocent until found guilty by a competent court of jurisdiction, that will be at variance with their oath of office.
The Nigerian State is superior to all individuals or governments and the DSS ought to know the difference. There could be no better illustration of this credo than when through the diligence of two journalists and American secret service, a sitting President, Richard Nixon, was compelled to resign from office over the Watergate scandal in 1976.
We need strong institutions and not strong individuals for our democracy to survive. Strong individuals constitute a threat to democracy anywhere. When we as institutions outbid one another to please Mr President, we are unwittingly jeopardising our democracy.
Please be guided.
Comrade Joe Ajaero
President, NLC
