The Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), Lagos State Chapter, has condemned the detention of three staff of the Lagos State House of Assembly by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, the State Chairman of PASAN, Comrade Babatunde Ogunlana, condemned the humiliating arrest, detention and trial of the officers as an abuse of power and a gross violation of the rights of the staffers who were performing their statutory duties.

“PASAN as a Union demands the immediate release of the detained staff members and calls on the authorities to institute a thorough Investigation* into their arrest, torture, and continued detention with a view to forestall recurrence.

“The association further call on DSSS to uphold the rule of law and ensure the safety of the affected staff.

“The Union use this medium to call for the intervention of the Director-General of the DSS to quash the frivolous trial of our members and ensure their immediate release.

“Our labour-friendly Governor of Lagos State Mr Babatunde Olusola Sanwo Olu to prevail on the relevant authorities for justice in this matter

“Civil Society Organisations and organized labour to rise in defence of democracy and rule of law as injury to one is an injury to all to prevent future intimidation and harassment of workers by security agencies

“The continued detention of our members raises genuine concerns for the health and safety of the affected staff one of whom is asthmatic.

“The DSS’s intentions are questionable too as the Association finds the prosecution of our members worrisome and unnecessarily subjecting our members to psychological trauma.

“We urge all relevant authorities to take immediate action to address this situation before it gets out of hand.”

In a related development, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Mr Stephen Ogundipe, said the lawmakers are working for the release of the detained staff.