The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has called on the Presidency and the National Assembly to urgently investigate claims by the State Security Service (SSS) that it has arrested the suspected killers of Mr. Olaitan Oyerinde, a senior aide to Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole.
In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it was compelled to make the callfollowing the riddle posed by two pictures carried by a national newspaper yesterday, which seemed to show that the security agency might be recycling the same suspected criminals for different offences.
It said the three suspects in the first picture, who were paraded by the SSS on March 14 for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a Briton, ChristopherMacManus and an Italian, Franco Lamolinara, in Sokoto, appeared to be the same as three of the suspects in the second picture, who were recently paraded by the same SSS for allegedly killing Oyerinde.
“Three of the suspects paraded by the SSS for killing Oyerinde appear to wear a complete replica of the same shirts worn by the suspects paraded for killing the foreigners in March.
“The pictures, published by the newspaper, are so compelling that we are forced to ask a number of questions from the SSS. Is the agency recycling suspected criminals and deceiving the people that it is indeed solving criminal cases? Does this systemic gimmick go higher than the security agency? For how long has this game been going on? What exactly does the government know about this? And is the PDPprivy to this recycling? If not, why was the party so quick to ask the ACN to apologise over the murder of Oyerinde?” ACN queried.
The party said the only way the riddle could be resolved was forthe government to appoint a panel of respected judicial officers to investigate the SSS, while the National Assembly must conduct a public hearing at which the suspects paraded for killing the foreigners would be placed side by side with those paraded for killing Oyerinde.
“The reason it is important to get to the root of the whole case is because the role of the SSS is so critical in ensuring peace and security in the country. For example, the Federal Government has relied largely on the agency to curtail the activities of the Boko Haram.
“If the agency has been cooking up stories and briefingsto government and recycling criminals, how can it satisfactorily play its role? How can it help in resolving the many high profile murders that have been recorded in the country?
“Is it that once any case cannotbe resolved or points to government’s suspected involvement, the SSS rounds upsome scallywags and parades them to the media, only for the case to go cold? What has become of the suspects paraded in March for allegedly killing the foreigners?”
ACN said the sooner the government and the legislature get to the bottom of the allegation now facing the SSS, the better for the agency in particular and the country in general, because the moment the people lose confidence in the SSS, the agency can no longer play its complementary role to the other security agencies in ensuring peace andsecurity in the country.


http://sunnewsonline.com/new/national/oyerinde-murder-acn-seeks-probe-of-sss-over-paraded-suspects/