By John Ikani
The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a warning about an alleged plot by “misguided political actors” to impose an interim government on Nigeria.
This announcement comes a few weeks after the national elections that led to the election of representatives while court cases filed by dissatisfied candidates are still ongoing.
In a statement signed by the agency’s spokesman, Dr Peter Afunanya, the DSS warned those involved in the plot to desist from doing so or face the full wrath of the law.
It also called on the judiciary, media, and civil society to be wary of such plotters.
“The planners, in their many meetings, have weighed various options, which include, among others, to sponsor endless violent mass protests in major cities to warrant a declaration of state of emergency,” the DSS said, adding that “another is to obtain frivolous court injunctions to forestall the inauguration of new executive administrations and legislative houses at the federal and state levels”.
The DSS said it fully supports President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to a peaceful handover of power in May 2023 and would work assiduously towards that goal.
“It also supports the Presidential Transition Council and such other related bodies in the states. We will collaborate with them and other security and law enforcement agencies to ensure seamless inauguration come May, 29, 2023,” the agency added.
The DSS urged those involved in the plot to retract from their “devious schemes and orchestrations”, adding that it would not hesitate to take necessary legal steps against them.
“While its monitoring continues, the DSS will not hesitate to take decisive and necessary legal steps against these misguided elements to frustrate their obnoxious intentions,” the statement concluded.