Retired DSS officer apologises to DG over leaked matter, gives SaharaReporters seven days to retract
- Nwaogu Ihechimere Ezeakolam, a retired DSS officer, has apologised to the agency's Director-General, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, for taking an internal matter to the press.
- Through his lawyer, he has asked SaharaReporters to retract a June 29 report he says was inaccurate and damaged reputations, giving the platform seven days.
- The lawyer's letter warns that further lawful steps may follow if the outlet does not respond in time.
A retired officer of the Department of State Services (DSS), Nwaogu Ihechimere Ezeakolam, has written to the agency's Director-General, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, apologising for making an internal DSS matter public.
In a letter dated September 22, 2026, the retired officer said he regretted the decision and asked the DG to handle the matter within the service rather than outside it.
He wrote that he had made "a serious error in judgment" and that he never meant to harm Ajayi, embarrass the office or drag the DSS chief into legal trouble. Internal security matters, he said, are sensitive and should not have been released to the public.
Ezeakolam also said his loyalty to the Federal Government remains intact and that he has never taken part in anything that could threaten the country's security. He ended by asking the Director-General to "temper justice with mercy" and settle the issue internally.
Demand for retraction
Separately, Ezeakolam's lawyer, Edmund C. Ben of Lawminds Associates, has written to SaharaReporters over a report the platform published on June 29, 2026.
In a letter dated October 16, 2026, the firm said the report denigrated the office of the DSS Director-General and ARODSSON, the association of retired DSS officers. It asked the platform to publish Ezeakolam's own response to the claims and to correct or retract anything found to be inaccurate, misleading or unsupported by evidence.
The lawyers said they accept the media's role in promoting transparency and accountability, but stressed that reporting should be factual and fair, and that people named in stories should have a right of reply.
The firm gave SaharaReporters seven days from receipt of the letter to respond, warning that it would otherwise consider "further lawful steps".
The correspondence did not include any reply from SaharaReporters, and there was no indication that the platform had retracted the report.
What happens next
The seven-day window in the lawyer's letter will decide whether the dispute stays as letters between the parties or moves to a courtroom. For now, no suit has been filed.
