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All the 26 members of the Akwa Ibom State House have demanded full apologies to the government and people from the leadership of the Department of State Services, (DSS) over the last Thursday’s alleged invasion of the Government House Uyo by the personnel of the Service.

Failure of the DSS to apologise to the government and the people within seven days, beginning from yesterday, the lawmakers said they would go ahead to press charges against the DSS for alleged breach of their governor’s rights and privileges.

The lawmakers, who were led by their Speaker, Hon. Aniekan Okon noted that the event of last week at the official residence of the Governor Mr. Emmanuel Udom had desecrated the symbol of governance of the state and had brought the state to a serious ridicule.

The lawmakers stressed that by the alleged invasion, the rights of their governor under the law had been breached, saying that the governor should enjoy the immunity that the President enjoys.

In the resolution, which was signed by all the 25 members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State Assembly as well as the single member of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), the lawmakers said, “On Thursday, September 3, 2015, the very essence of our democracy and our freedom were shamelessly assaulted by terrorists masking as operatives of the department of State Security Service, otherwise known as SSS.

“In broad daylight, and in a fully democratic country where the rule of law is sacrosanct; a special squad of the SSS consisting of operatives from Abuja and a detachment from Uyo, in a commando style, launched a brazen attack on the official residence of our Executive Governor, Deacon Udom Emmanuel.

“During the raid, the rampaging SSS operatives broke into rooms and guest houses within the Government House, which is one of the strongest symbols of our confederacy and in the process damaged valuables belonging to the Government and people of Akwa Ibom State.”

The lawmakers, who disputed claims that the DSS personnel recovered stockpile of arms and bale of dollars, saying as the representatives of the people, they are submitting that nothing of such was recovered in the raid.

Quoting the relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended, the lawmakers alleged that the actions of the DSS operatives under Mr. Musa Lawal Daura had breached the rights of the governor of the state, which had clear immunity from prosecution for any action he takes, while still occupying the position.

“It is unfortunate that while the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Vice President as well as the Governors and Deputy Governors across the country are protected under Constitutional Immunity, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State has been singled out and stripped of this right which provided for him under the law.

“We also condemn in the strongest terms, the illegal assault on the symbol of our pride and the embodiment of the confederacy of Akwa Ibom State in the Nigerian Federation by the Daura-led State Security Service.

“We, hereby challenge the Director General of the SSS, Alhaji Lawal Musa Daura, to tell the people of Akwa Ibom State, Nigerians and indeed lovers of democracy all over the world, why he ordered the ill-fated operation on the Akwa Ibom State Government House.