DSS claims APC registered minors, foreigners, securitymen

•Marilyn Ogar of DSS: makes claims against APC membership

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) said it had uncovered lists containing names and photographs of security personnel, foreigners and minor/under-aged on the registered members list of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

The spokesperson of DSS, Marilyn Ogar, disclosed this on Wednesday at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ogar also said that video with tutorial for hacking was also uncovered when the service raided a building in Lagos.

She displayed the lists and other items recovered from the building to newsmen.

She also alleged that the APC filled forms without passport photographs, books containing names of people with phone numbers and many envelopes containing passport photographs of people were also recovered.

Operatives of the service raided the building at 10, Bola Ajibola St., Ikeja, Lagos state, on Nov. 24, 2014, following a tip-off.

The vandalised APC data office in Ikeja by DSS and Naval policemen the first time they came

“We suspect that there was an elaborate and well articulated plan to inflate the party’s membership data as well as hack into INEC’s voter registration database,’’ the spokesperson said.

According to her, this was done through the creation of the party’s membership forms and cards to match INEC’s voters register across the country.

Ogar said that the video of 21 hacking tutorials, “a temporary voter card, a permanent voter card’’ were also recovered.

“The tutorial video focused on the following areas: How to become a hacker and steps to take to avoid detection in the process of hacking web services.

“Steps and procedures of system hacking, passwords cracking, decrypting, escalating access privileges and creating backdoors to servers,’’ she said.

Ogar also said that the tutorial clearly explained how to evade security of database such as “Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), firewalls and other measures put in place to deter backers’’.

She said the video also outlined ways to identify vulnerabilities in systems and how to cleverly drop a USB flash drive in a target establishment.

She alleged that the drive, when plugged into any commuter, could transmit “malicious codes enough to gain access into and compromise the entire system of the target organisation’’.

“The video explains how to hack into the systems of media houses with the aim of broadcasting fake stories or headlines,’’ she said.

Ogar said that suspects arrested in connection with the raid had been charged to court, while investigation had begun.

She promised to update the public with further developments.

Responding to questions, Ogar said the service had written to the security agencies whose personnel were found on the APC register to investigate their involvement and take necessary actions.

View Comments (1)

  • If this is the pre-occupation of the DSS, then Nigeria is doomed. We clearly don't have a secret service. No wonder Boko haram insurgency festers, while the DSS is fast asleep, pursuing trivialities and doing hatchet jobs all over.
    What is the business of the DSS about the people registered by a party? DSS forgets that the constitution gives all parties power to regulate themselves and conduct their business in accordance with the laws of the land. And who is Marilyn Ogar to be quoting the law a party has broken? Is she the court of the land? That clearly is the job of the judiciary.