On Thursday, the State Security Service (SSS) raided the Akwa Ibom State Government House based on the security reports that suggested arms and ammunition were stored in a guest house there.
It was however revealed that during the raid, the DSS uncovered “arms and ammunition and “stockpiles of United States dollars” in the guest houses inside the Government House.
It will be noted that the Akwa-Ibom Government House is yet to be occupied by Governor Udom Emmanuel months after being sworn in as Governor.
According to reports, operatives moved to the guest houses and the presidential lodge, said to be currently in use by ex-Governor Godswill Akpabio.
It was, however, in one of the guest houses within the expansive complex that the stockpile of arms and ammunition were found locked up in a large room.
Apart from the arms stockpile it was gathered that the DSS operatives uncovered a guest room filled with United States dollar notes.
According to a source who spoke to an online media, confirmed that indeed the Government House was raided by the secret police.
“It is true that our operatives carried out an operation in Akwa Ibom State Government House in Uyo yesterday,” the source said.
“During the operation which lasted for over an hour, our operatives found stockpile of arms and ammunition locked up in one of the guest houses within the Government House complex.
“We also found a room which has stacks of United States dollars, but since we had no order to take away. Our operatives left the room untouched.”
One of our sources said the operatives initially wanted to evacuate the dollar notes but received instructions from their superiors in Abuja to let the notes be.
However, apparently jolted by the development, the raid has attracted harsh reactions from the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
An official of the SSS said PDP’s loud reaction “is to divert attention and downplay the findings of the Service”.