DSS reportedly invades media company, arrests staff member

DSS reportedly invades media company, arrests staff member 

A Nigerian online publication that reports on parliamentary activities, OrderPapera, has raised concerns over the sudden arrest of one of its staff members by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

In a statement issued late Friday, the media outlet disclosed that DSS agents stormed the home of their staff member, Edna Ulaeto, and forcefully took her away.

The exact location of her residence was not disclosed.

It remains unclear whether Ulaeto holds a reporting role at OrderPaper, but the publication suspects the incident is connected to a story it published about an alleged DSS raid on the National Assembly.

There had been speculations about a plot to impeach Senate President Godswill Akpabio, which the Senate denied.

“On October 18, 2024, armed men claiming to be DSS officers from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) forcibly entered the residence of Edna Ulaeto. Without offering any explanation, they abducted her,” the statement read.

OrderPaper described how Ulaeto was taken while still dressed in her nightwear, leaving her family and neighbours in distress.

“Her phone was tracked illegally – a method reserved for dangerous criminals, not innocent media workers,” the statement added.

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The organization linked the DSS raid to a retracted report on the purported invasion of the National Assembly. “Despite our swift apology for the mistaken report, masked operatives raided her home, ransacked her belongings, and inflicted severe trauma on her family.”

Eyewitnesses who tried to intervene were allegedly intimidated, with some forced to delete recordings under threat of arrest.

OrderPaper said neither the DSS nor the police provided any prior notice or formal invitation regarding the matter. Efforts to contact Ulaeto since the incident have been unsuccessful, heightening fears for her safety.

“The terrifying ordeal has left our entire team in a state of fear and uncertainty about what might happen next,” the statement continued.

“We call on the public, civil society organizations, and the international community to demand Ulaeto’s immediate release and protection.

“This brazen attack on press freedom and human rights must not be ignored.”

This incident comes on the heels of another controversy involving the arrest of a radio presenter from Urban FM in Enugu.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was accused of interrupting a live broadcast to arrest the presenter.

But the agency denied this, stating that she was detained due to her alleged involvement in a Ponzi scheme investigation.

 

DSS reportedly invades media company, arrests staff member