“Since the padding of the national budget is a straight forward case of economic crime which is not concerned with the internal security of the nation the DSS should not play into the soiled hands of the criminal suspects in the House of Representatives as they may later turn round to challenge the legal validity of any criminal charge arising from a faulty investigation report.

Outspoken Nigerian lawyer, Femi Falana has stated that the Department of State Service, DSS, has the rights to investigate into the current crisis at the house of reps and probe federal lawmakers.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Falana said there was no legal or moral backing for the DSS to embark on such investigation as the agency is strictly limited to the “preservation and detection within Nigeria of any crime against the internal security of Nigeria,” according to the National Security Agencies Act.

“Since the padding of the national budget is a straight forward case of economic crime which is not concerned with the internal security of the nation the DSS should not play into the soiled hands of the criminal suspects in the House of Representatives as they may later turn round to challenge the legal validity of any criminal charge arising from a faulty investigation report.

“The DSS should be called to order as the nation cannot afford to bungle the investigation of the highly placed politically exposed persons involved in the padding of the budget.

“In the light of the foregoing, the Police and the anti graft agencies should be allowed to get to the root of the criminality of budget padding in the National Assembly.”