The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, under the jurisdiction of Justice Daniel Osiagor, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, dismissed all six criminal charges previously filed against three staff members of the Lagos State House of Assembly. The charges were brought forward by the Department of State Services (DSS), which accused the trio of assaulting its operatives.
Justice Osiagor struck out the case after the DSS prosecutor, Mohammed Bajela, formally withdrew the charges. Although no official reason was provided in court for the sudden withdrawal, credible sources revealed that the move followed the intervention of prominent political figures in Lagos who sought an amicable resolution to the matter.
The accused individuals — Ibrahim Olanrewaju, Adetu Adekunle, and Fatimoh Adetola — were initially arraigned on February 17, 2025. The DSS had alleged that the three conspired to obstruct and assault officers of the State Security Service who were carrying out their lawful duties within the premises of the Lagos State House of Assembly on the same date.
In addition to the physical obstruction allegations, the intelligence agency also accused the defendants of engaging in cyberstalking.
According to the DSS, the defendants had recorded the incident using an iPhone 12 Pro Max and disseminated what it described as false and misleading information on various social media platforms. This act, it claimed, was intended to incite public disorder and tarnish the image of the Service.
Furthermore, the DSS alleged that the trio conspired to commit a felony by intentionally misdirecting electronic communications to social media with the sole aim of embarrassing the Service and its personnel.
These offences, according to the DSS, contravened several provisions of Nigerian law, including Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and Sections 27(1)(b), 24(1)(b), 24(c)(i), and 11 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
Despite pleading not guilty during their arraignment, the defendants were eventually exonerated after the charges were withdrawn. Sources close to the development disclosed that each of the accused legislative staff submitted individual letters of apology addressed to the Director General of the Department of State Services.
In the letters, they reportedly pledged not to engage in any further conduct that could be deemed unlawful or damaging to national security institutions.
The dismissal of the case brings an official end to the legal proceedings, which had stirred both public and institutional concern over the boundaries between security enforcement and legislative operations.
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