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Lagos Assembly insists Obasa’s removal legal as DSS grills lawmakers
The Department of State Services on Thursday grilled members of the Lagos State House of Assembly in connection to a petition reportedly written by the former Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa.
According to reliable sources, more than half of the lawmakers were interrogated by the DSS for hours on Thursday before they were released in the evening.
The DSS investigation followed Obasa’s claims that his removal on January 13 over allegations of misconduct, abuse of office, and financial mismanagement, was illegal.
A source in the DSS, who is not authorised to speak to the press, told The PUNCH that the lawmakers were invited for questioning.
“They have been released, they were just invited for questioning based on the incidents that happened at the Assembly; they were allowed to go immediately after the questioning,” the officer said.
In a statement, the spokesperson for the Assembly, Ogundipe Olukayode, while reacting to their invitation, said the lawmakers visited the DSS to provide insights into the situation on the removal of the ex-Speaker.
He confirmed that all the members of the Assembly earlier detained had regained their freedom.
“At the DSS office, we reaffirmed our commitment to upholding constitutional governance following the removal of the former Speaker. The decision was made in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Powers and Privileges Act, which empower the state Assembly to regulate its internal proceedings without external interference.
“The decision to remove the former Speaker was made through a democratic process, with the required majority as stipulated by law. Any attempt to challenge this lawful action undermines the authority granted to us by the Nigerian Constitution.”
“We commend the professionalism of the DSS office in their friendly invitation. We appreciate the Lagos DSS Command, especially the Director, for ensuring a smooth and respectful engagement. The process allowed us to give a clear recount of events in a comfortable and professional environment.”
Obasa, who had been a Speaker since 2015 and representing Agege constituency I, had insisted upon his return to Lagos from the United States that he was still the Speaker.
He urged the lawmakers to follow the “right process” in addressing his removal while maintaining that he had been unfairly targeted.
According to him, such financial mishandling not only disrupts critical public services and projects but also results in major losses to the nation’s purse—resources that could have been channelled into crucial services and developmental efforts, as laid out in Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution.
Speaker Abbas, thereafter setup a Special Committee to be chaired by Rep. Chinedu Martins to immediately launch a probe into the “Utilisation of take-off grants, bailout funds, and interventions allocated to MDAs, government institutions, and GOEs from 2015 to present.”
The FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, expressed satisfaction with the progress on the Abuja light rail project, reaffirming its May 29 delivery as sacrosanct.
He made these assurances after inspecting the ongoing construction of access roads to the train stations on Wednesday, from Metro Train Station in the Central Area to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Reassuring journalists accompanying him, the minister reiterated that President Bola Tinubu would commission the rail project on May 29 to mark his second year in office.
The visited stations were Wupa station near Idu and Bassanjiwa station near the airport.
“This is part of our routine inspection of ongoing projects to see the contractors’ progress,” Wike explained.
“We are working day and night to fulfill our promise to President Tinubu and FCT residents. By May, Mr. President will ride on the Metro line.”
Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen are currently invading some communities in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to sources, the herdsmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the community around 04:15pm on Thursday.
“Our lives are in danger this evening, armed Fulani herdsmen, about 600 in numbers have taken over our communities this evening,” a resident told SaharaReporters.
“They’re currently moving around towns in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state. No security personnel at all, Governor Alia didn’t send security, they said operation will start soon once they (herders) have observed the place.”
The insecurity situation in Benue has been alarming in recent weeks with attacks from gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.
The media had reported that suspected herdsmen again unleashed terror in Benue State, attacking three communities in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) on Wednesday, just a day after 11 people were killed in a deadly raid on Otobi community.
The latest victims of the escalating violence were Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju, communities that had previously suffered an attack in February, which left five people dead.
However, the renewed attack has created fear and mass displacement among residents, with women and children fleeing to safety.
Local sources say the death toll from the fresh attack remains unclear, but several casualties are feared.
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