Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, yesterday described as “false” claims by the Department of State Service that its agents recovered weapons and dollars from his official residence. An unnamed DSS operative had told journalists in Uyo after the raid that a stockpile of arms and dollars were found in separate rooms during a search of the Hilltop Mansion official residence of the governor on Thursday.
They broke into several rooms in the official residence, which is yet to be occupied by the governor, guest houses and the presidential lodge. The operation was jointly carried out by operatives from the SSS headquarters in Abuja and a detachment from the Akwa Ibom State Command of the Service. “It is true that our operatives carried out an operation in Akwa Ibom State Government House in Uyo yesterday.
During the operation which lasted for over an hour, our operatives found a stockpile of arms and ammunition locked up in one of the guest houses within the Government House complex. “We also found a room which has stacks of United States dollars, but since we had no order to take away. Our operatives left the room untouched,” a DSS source said.
The source said the operatives initially wanted to evacuate the dollar notes but received instructions from their superiors in Abuja to let the notes be. But the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ekerete Udoh, said in a statement made available to reporters that “the story is nothing but a lie concocted by people who wish to form a narrative that bears no reality to what is on ground in the peaceful and serene state of Akwa Ibom.
“The illegal invasion of the Governor’s Lodge Guest Wing has already been condemned by all wellmeaning Nigerians and it sad that people could throw rationality and decency to the winds by publishing such a blatant lie. “Let me state here that Governor Udom Emmanuel will not be distracted by the machinations of the opposition or its agents. His 100 days have been packed by superlative performance and the good people of Akwa Ibom State who voted for him massively last April 11, are solidly behind him.”
Meanwhile, some staff of the governor’s office, who pleaded not to be named for security reasons, told reporters that in the course of the operation, a lot of government property were damaged by the DSS operatives. They stated the operatives did not ransack the official residence of the governor but confirmed they broke into all the guest houses within the Government House complex. DSS could not be immediately reached to officially comment on the operation.
The agency has a new director in Akwa Ibom State but does not have a known spokesperson that can be reached for comments. Following on the feels of Thursday’s raid on the Akwa Ibom State Government House in the state capital, Uyo by the Department of State Service, there are indications that the agency may move against more governors over suspected subversive activities.
Sunday Telegraph gathered that the service was working on intelligence reports that some top politicians were moving huge amounts of foreign currencies and arms in readiness for alleged subversive activities against the Federal Government.
