The Department of State Services (DSS) has debunked a report that its operatives arrested and detained seven members of the ICT unit of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) for allegedly disclosing the Commission’s identity number to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, describing it as “false and mischievous.”
A social media platform had reported that the DSS arrested some ICT staff of INEC for disclosing the commission’s server identity number to the PDP and its Presidential candidate in the just concluded elections, Atiku.
READ ALSO: Again NCC, DSS Warn Against Use of Pre registered Sim
The DSS in a statement by Peter Afunanya, its Public Relations Officer on Saturday, said that the report went further to say that the staff were detained and tortured for three days by the service to find out who among them gave out the information.
The said social media report, according to Afunanya, claimed that the INEC staff were hurriedly released by the service when their wives threatened to jointly go on public protest.
“The service wishes to state that the information in its entirety is false and should be seen as a calculated effort to smear its image, ” the DSS said.
The secret police stated further that no such things happened as it never invited or arrested any INEC staff, adding that “there is no iota of truth in these allegations and the public is, therefore, enjoined to disregard them. They are simply manipulative, misleading, inciting and can only be considered as mischievous and unpatriotic,” he said.
He noted that the DSS was recently honoured by an International Election observer group for its neutrality and professionalism during the general elections, even as he assured the public that the service would continue to conduct itself in the manner that had earned it honour.
The DSS however warned those it referred to as mischief makers, who are bent on using fake news to cause breakdown of law and order, to desist from such or face the consequences.
“The service will not condone deliberate acts of subversion and sabotage aimed at harming the peace of the nation,” he warned.
