Lagos, May 30, 2023 – President Bola Tinubu has directed the Department of State Security Service to immediately vacate the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The President gave the directive when reports that DSS officials stormed the EFCC office located on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos on Tuesday, preventing officials of the anti-graft agency from accessing their work place, was brought to his attention.
The President said if there were issues between the two important agencies of government, they would be resolved amicably.
The directive was contained in a statement signed by the president’s spokesperson, Tunde Rahman on Tuesday.
The President gave the directive following the face-off between the two security agencies earlier on Tuesday.
The statement read: “President Bola Tinubu has directed the Department of State Security Service to immediately vacate the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Ikoyi, Lagos.
“The President gave the directive when reports that DSS officials stormed the EFCC office located on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos on Tuesday, preventing officials of the anti-graft agency from accessing their work place, was brought to his attention.
“The President said if there were issues between the two important agencies of government, they would be resolved amicably”.
Some operatives of the DSS, had on Tuesday morning, sealed the offices of the EFCC, baring the officials from conducting their dutings.
An official of the EFCC told journalist that: “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 said.
In its defence, the DSS said that the office being occupied by the EFCC on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, originally belonged to the DSS.
In a statement, the DSS said it was not just working where it should be working. (GBN)
