DSS Demands Apology, Retraction Over Alleged Defamatory Report by Peoples Gazette
The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a stern demand to The Peoples Gazette Ltd., insisting on a public retraction and apology over what it described as a libelous report implicating its Director-General, Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, in the alleged abduction and coercion of a senior NNPC official.
In a letter signed by Chief Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), legal counsel to both the DSS and its Director-General, and addressed to the management of the Abuja-based online platform, the secret police described the report as “baseless, defamatory, and malicious.”
The DSS was reacting to a publication dated August 2, titled: “EFCC, SSS abduct NNPC boss Bayo Ojulari, force him to sign resignation letter after directive from Bola Tinubu’s paramour Olatimbo Ayinde.”
The article featured images of Mr. Ajayi, EFCC Chairman Mr. Ola Olukoyede, and Olatimbo Ayinde, and alleged that both security agencies played a role in the abduction and forced resignation of Mr. Bayo Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.).
The DSS, through its lawyer, rejected the claims outright, labeling the article as a fabrication designed to malign its reputation and portray Mr. Ajayi as a tool for intimidation. The letter accused Peoples Gazette of publishing unverified information sourced from questionable individuals without seeking clarification or response from the agency.
“Our clients have suffered severe reputational damage,” the letter read. “The publication has incited public anger and cast the DSS and its leadership in a false and damaging light.”
The security agency is demanding the following:
- An immediate retraction of the story from all media platforms;
- A formal, unreserved public apology to be published on all the same channels.
The legal team further warned that failure to comply within 48 hours of receiving the notice would result in both civil and criminal proceedings, citing relevant provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended).
