Lagos, Nigeria – Three individuals who were arrested for allegedly assaulting officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) during the February 18 crisis at the Lagos State House of Assembly have been released on bail.
The individuals, identified as Ibrahim Olanrewaju Abdulkareem, a photographer, and two members attached to the Assembly’s Sergeant-at-Arms, Adetu Adekunle Samsudeen and Adetola Oluwatosin Fatimoh, were released on Saturday night following the intervention of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana.
Mr. Falana confirmed the release in a statement to Reporters on Sunday morning, stating that he had contacted the Director General of the DSS to facilitate their bail. “I intervened by contacting the Director General of the State Security Service. Upon our intervention, the DG ordered that they be granted bail. They met the bail conditions and were released last night,” Falana said.
The arrests were made after the Lagos State House of Assembly requested heightened security at the complex due to concerns over potential unrest. In a letter dated February 14, 2025, signed by Acting Clerk A.T.B. Ottun, the Assembly instructed the DSS to enforce strict access control from February 15 until further notice.
Security agencies, including the DSS, were deployed to maintain order after intelligence reports suggested that loyalists of ousted Speaker Hon. Mudashiru Obasa were planning to forcefully reinstate him. CCTV footage later identified the three suspects allegedly involved in an altercation with DSS officers, leading to their arrest in different locations across Lagos.
A leaked memo from the Assembly leadership revealed concerns that Obasa’s supporters intended to forcefully reinstate him on February 18, prompting the request for DSS intervention.
The Lagos Assembly crisis has continued to draw attention, with tensions between political factions escalating. The deployment of DSS operatives was aimed at preventing a breakdown of law and order within the legislative complex.
While the three suspects have now been released on bail, the situation remains closely monitored as political developments at the Lagos Assembly unfold.
