The unnamed secret police agent, who seized the identification card of the driver, accused him of supporting citizens critical of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
A driver with the Federal Ministry of Transportation in Abuja, known as Cosmos Shilgba, has been harassed and threatened by an operative of the Department of State Services.
The unnamed secret police agent, who seized the identification card of the driver, accused him of supporting citizens critical of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Trouble started on Tuesday morning when Shilgba visited the Federal High Court, Abuja, to see a friend.
The day coincided with a court appearance of human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore.
In solidarity with the activist, dozens of Nigerians fed up with President Buhari’s government and who share in Sowore’s vision for Nigeria, thronged the court premises to offer moral support.
But while sitting alone in a vehicle he drove into the court premises, the yet-to-be-identified DSS operative swooped on Shilgba, accusing him of working with activists to criticise Buhari’s government.
All explanations by the civil servant to make the DSS official understand that he had nothing to do with the allegations he had levelled against him were ignored as he soon seized his identity card and threatened to not only lock him up but also ensure that he was sacked by the government.
Speaking with SaharaReporters on Thursday over the incident, the driver disclosed that the DSS operative had yet to return his identity card despite the intervention of some officials of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
He said, “The whole incident is still a shock to me. How can somebody just appear from nowhere and accuse another person without any kind of evidence of working with others to oppose the government of Buhari?
“The DSS officer saw me sitting inside the vehicle alone yet he is claiming that I am working with an activist to bring the government down.
“Despite the intervention of some court officials, he seized my ID card and threatened to get me sacked from work.
“I don’t know this man from anywhere; he has been threatening to deal with me mercilessly. I have handed the matter over to God because I know that I have not committed any offence.”
Earning a notorious reputation over the years for the violation of the rights of citizens, especially critics of President Buhari’s government, DSS operatives have continued to run riot across Nigeria, harassing, attacking and killing scores of citizens by the day.
Despite continued outrage from the public over their highhandedness and reckless use of force, the government has been unable to tame the agency and its lawless officers, leaving ordinary Nigerians to bear the brunt of their atrocious activities oftentimes.