Coming only weeks before a crucial national election, the dawn raid, by the Department of State Security Service (DSS), of the Lagos property housing the data centre of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), is suspicious. The agency’s action certainly needs to be justified, if it is not to be regarded as yet another antic of the ruling government to intimidate the opposition with a view to unjustly gaining an upper hand in the election. And such justification can only be in the substantiation of the grave allegations of voter card cloning by the APC, according to the DSS, “with the intention of hacking into INEC data bases.”
The fact that the raid is close on the heels of militarisation and subsequent high-handed tactical approach of security apparatus in the conduct of the last governorship election in Osun State makes the latest DSS raid a mean action; besides, the agency acted afterwards in a manner suggesting a disdain for the law. Although its operation was allegedly spurred by a petition, it could have been handled differently, in a more mature and professional way without portraying DSS as a Gestapo. As it were, its invading army did little to lift its image or to absolve the agency of accusations of overzealousness and bias.
To redeem itself, the DSS should quickly clarify posers as to who ordered the invasion. Is the DSS rehearsing part of a script intended to muzzle opponents? Is this the shape of things to come before the impending 2015 elections? Why has the agency disobeyed a court of competent jurisdiction to produce innocent arrested workers, who were herded away along with seized materials? How independent are the country’s security agencies including the DSS?
Creating a level playing field for all political parties in any electoral process is vital in the sustenance of democratic ideals of a country. Although the DSS, along with other security agencies, ought to be supported in their crucial role of securing institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it also has a duty to ensure an enduring political system. Therefore, it should maintain neutrality in the processes leading to emergence of elected public officials on approved platforms.
A barefaced violation of right to privacy and dignity of persons in dealing with suspected infractions cannot be in the best interest of democracy. The DSS must guard against repeating such action on any opposition political party, without due process. There is no indication, for instance, that the agency duly obtained a search warrant before its invasion; nor was the leadership of the concerned political party notified.
Meanwhile, the raid has reportedly occasioned the destruction of valuables, besides the arrest and detention of a number of party workers. In the process, “a server, three hard drives and 31 Ghana-Must-Go bags containing hard copy documents” were taken away for investigation. These raise questions regarding violations of constitutional liberty, to which the DSS must answer, as it has responsibility to be accountable to the public on the outcome of its inquiry. Offenders, if any, should be prosecuted too, particularly as the APC has defended its workings at the data centre, saying only information about members gathered from a recent membership drive were being collated there. The electorate can surely do without politicians waging war against the country under any guise.
After 15 years of experimenting with democratic tenets in this Fourth Republic, stakeholders ought to have imbibed attributes to make the democracy run its course with a view to strengthening it. Security agencies, therefore, should learn to uphold the values in playing the neutral role expected of any respected organisation dealing with politicians whose terms are very transient.
While security personnel are expected to prevent the commission of crime, including electoral offences, their action must be carried out with decorum, bearing in mind the dignity and constitutional rights of persons. Security operatives should not be so insensitive to criticisms, that they become tools in the hands of power mongers.
The DSS must strive to shore up its reputation and improve its image management. Playing into the hands of politicians is a sure way to ruination. It cannot afford to be seen as providing service for a segment of the major political actors. That will be a great disservice to the Nigerian citizens, and dangerous for the polity.
