Lagos APC office used to clone voter cards —DSS •We will sue DSS —APC

THE Department of State Service (DSS), on Sunday, said its decision to raid an Ikeja, Lagos office, which the All Progressives Congress (APC) claimed belonged to it, was as a result of a petition which alleged that some persons were using the office to clone permanent voter cards.

The Service, in a statement endorsed by its spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, said the raid on the office located at 10, Ajibola Street, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos, on Saturday, was as a result of an ongoing investigation of a claim linking the office to some unwholesome activities.
According to her, the service received a petition which alleged that the office was being used by some persons to clone the permanent voter cards of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
She also said the intention of the said persons was to hack into INEC data and corrupt it while replacing it with their own data.
The statement indicated that after weeks of surveillance, it was confirmed that some unwholesome activities were taking place in the building, leading to the raid on Saturday morning.
The APC had, in a statement by its spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Saturday, claimed that security agents had invaded its office in Lagos and destroyed computers.
But Ogar clarified in a statement on Sunday that the office had no signpost which indicated that it belonged to any particular group, adding that the raid on the office was due to ongoing investigation linking the office to alleged acts of sabotage of the nation’s electoral data.
She stated that during the raid, some persons were arrested while items recovered include a server, three hard drives, 31 ‘Ghana must go bags’ and a hard copy document.
“The petition alleged that those behind the activities were cloning INEC permanent voter cards, with the intention of hacking into INEC database, corrupting it and replacing them with their own data.
“Based on this information, the service placed the building under surveillance and having been convinced that some unwholesome activities were going on in the building, it undertook a raid of the premises,” it added.
Reacting, APC said the invasion of the centre was an act of brigandage without a court order authorising a search.
Speaking through its spokesperson, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Sunday, the party also disclosed that it would sue the service over the invasion.
Mohammed wondered how the officers of the service got to know the residence of Esther, the programme officer at the centre, who he claimed was arrested at the weekend.
He disclosed that she was picked up in order to get the password, adding that if the service claimed not to know the identity of the users of the building, how did its officers know the identity of Esther as working for APC?.
“Don’t you go to court for an order? What they did is illegal. You can’t even go to a private home for a search without a warrant. How can they say they didn’t know the identity of those using the building? Immediately you enter the place, you see APC on almost everything there.
“Since they said the place had been under surveillance for a while, that means they were not in a hurry. So why don’t you get court order. If they said they didn’t know the identity of the user of the building, it shows gross incompetence, because those who petitioned didn’t know what they were saying.
“They were just concocting stories. Esther was arrested yesterday to collect the password. How did they know where she lives? This is an act of impunity and brigandage. Certainly, we will sue them.”
Meanwhile, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Honourable Adeyemi Ikuforiji, has condemned the forceful invasion and ransacking of the office of the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by men suspected to be agents of the State Security Services.
The speaker said this in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Rotimi Adebayo.
“The unprovoked and needless forceful invasion of the Information Technology Centre of the office of the Lagos State Chapter of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) by men suspected be agents of the State Security Service has come to my notice and the entire members of the Lagos State House of Assembly with total shock and disbelief,” he said.
“While this unwarranted invasion should never have been allowed to happen, it should, however, be condemned by all right thinking Nigerians as it portends grave dangers for our tottering democracy.
“It is even the more worrisome, depressing that this invasion is coming, barely three days after the police high command had sealed off the Federal House of Representatives and the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal was tear gas in order to prevent him from coordinating the planned sitting of the lower House of the National Assembly.
“It is quite disturbing, unfortunate and dangerous that such needless invasion of another arm of government approved by the nation’s constitution to function is now being messed up by men of the security services who are being paid salaries by the nation, and whose duty is to protect lives and property,” the speaker said.http://tribune.com.ng/news/top-stories/item/22365-lagos-apc-office-used-to-clone-voter-cards-dss-we-will-sue-dss-apc