"Display Of Unnecessary Self-Importance" - SSS Blasts Oby Ezekwesili Over Alleged Airport Arrest

The Department of State Security (DSS) has attacked the former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, for complaining over her arrest by security operatives at the Abuja airport early Monday. Mrs. Ezekwesili, who leads the #BringBackOurGirls campaign for the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, was held at
the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on her way to the United Kingdom for a scheduled engagement.
Operatives of the State Security Services seized her travelling documents without a formal explanation, and delayed her for about 30 minutes. Mrs. Ezekwesili was later released after the arrest drew widespread condemnations on social media.

Responding to the arrest late Monday, the SSS accused the former minister of arrogance and display of “unnecessary self-importance” in the face mounting security challenges in the country.
“I don’t know why some people will sometimes arrogate to themselves unnecessary importance when we have serious security challenges in our hands,” a spokesperson for the department, Marilyn Ogar, said. “Government has asked the SSS to be at the airports. Statutorily, SSS clears all passengers travelling out or coming into the country.”

Apart from leading the sit-in in Abuja for the #BringBackOurGirls movement, Mrs Ezekwesili has accused the administration of doing little or nothing to check widespread corruption and impunity, and has demanded transparency in the management of the country’s oil revenues.

In criticizing the activities of the group, Ms. Ogar, had accused its leaders of turning the protest into a franchise for collecting monies from unsuspecting members of the public. “#BringBackOurGirls movement has become a franchise,” “If it is an ordinary movement seeking to pile pressure on government or security agencies to release these girls, there will be no need for the group to begin to have tags, insisting that you must have a tag and be properly registered to be part of them. Security forces also know that they have bank accounts.”