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In a significant departure from years of friction between the media and the nation’s intelligence service, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS/SSS), Mr. Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has formally pledged to champion media freedom and the safety of journalists across Nigeria. The commitment was contained in a letter personally signed by Mr. Ajayi and addressed to the President of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria, Mr. Musikilu Mojeed, in response to a commendation award recently bestowed upon the SSS chief by the media advocacy body.
Mr. Ajayi revealed that he has already begun high-level talks with heads of other security agencies to ensure that the fair treatment of journalists becomes a standard protocol nationwide. He noted that he has initiated further engagements with his colleagues to prioritize the protection of the press, stating that this drive is in strict alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandate to protect all Nigerians, regardless of their profession.
The IPI Nigeria, in a statement by its Secretary, Mr. Ahmed I. Shekarau, noted that the SSS under Mr. Ajayi’s leadership has undergone a remarkable transformation. While the agency was previously often associated with the harassment and arrest of reporters, the current administration has favored dialogue over coercion. The IPI cited several key interventions by Mr. Ajayi that led to his recognition, including the swift release of journalist Adejuwon Soyinka barely hours into Ajayi’s tenure and the resolution of the decades-long harassment of IPC Executive Director Lanre Arogundade, who had been on a “watchlist” since the 1980s.
Further demonstrating this shift, the IPI referenced cases involving Order Paper and reports on the Lagos State House of Assembly where Mr. Ajayi opted for administrative bail and collaborative dispute resolution rather than pursuing court charges. Most notably, in October 2025, he took the unprecedented step of disciplining officers who wrongly detained journalists from Jay 101.9 FM in Jos, ordering a formal apology to the affected media house.
The IPI Nigeria presented the award to Mr. Ajayi during its Annual Conference, explaining that the public recognition was intended not just to encourage the Director-General, but to serve as a blueprint for other public officials and security institutions. The organization expressed hope that this newfound professionalism and openness to dialogue will become a permanent feature of Nigeria’s security architecture.
