Department of State Services Director General pledges to champion media freedom

The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS/SSS), Mr. Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has pledged to foster a more enabling environment for journalists and media practitioners to carry out their professional duties in Nigeria.

Penpushing reports that Secretary, of International Press Institute (IPI), Nigeria Ahmed Shekarau said in a statement that the Director General made the commitment in a letter to the President of the Institute Musikilu Mojeed, in response to a commendation award recently conferred on him by the media advocacy body.

The statement said in the letter, dated December 19, 2025, and personally signed by Ajayi said he would continue to “champion fair treatment of journalists and create a conducive atmosphere for them to carry out their legitimate duties, in line with the drive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to protect all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, religion, or profession.

Penpushing further reports that he disclosed that he had initiated engagements with heads of other security agencies on the need to prioritise the protection and fair treatment of journalists nationwide.

“I have initiated further engagements with my colleagues and heads of other security agencies to prioritise the protection and fair treatment of members of the press across the country,” Mr. Ajayi stated.

Penpushing also reports that he commended International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria for its sustained efforts at promoting responsible and balanced reportage of sensitive national security and development-related issues, while reaffirming his commitment to continued cooperation with the organisation and its members.

The statement by the body recalled that the commendation award was presented to Ajayi during the organisation’s 2025 Annual Conference, held on December 2, 2025 in Abuja, in recognition of his notable commitment to media freedom and the safety of journalists.

Penpushing reports that the institute added that Ajayi’s appointment as Director-General of the Service in late August 2024, he has demonstrated an unmistakable commitment to press freedom and respect for journalists and media organisations.

“Unlike in previous years, when the SSS was notorious for serial harassment, intimidation, and arrests of journalists, the agency under Mr. Ajayi’s leadership has shown remarkable restraint, professionalism, and openness to dialogue. Conflicts between the Service and the media are now resolved amicably through engagement rather than coercion,” the statement read.

Penpushing further reports that the organisationI cited several instances to illustrate what it described as a positive shift in the agency’s posture toward the media, noting that barely hours into Ajayi’s tenure, a journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, was intercepted and detained in Lagos, but within hours of International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria bringing the matter to his attention, Ajayi directed the Lagos Command to release the journalist immediately.

The organization equally referenced Ajayi’s intervention in the case of Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), who had for decades suffered repeated harassment at Nigeria’s borders after being placed on an State Security Service (SSS) watchlist in the 1980s.

Penpushing also reports that the statement stated that despite earlier assurances under previous administrations that his name had been removed, the problem persisted until Ajayi acted swiftly on the matter following a formal complaint by International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria.

The statement said in the Order Paper case, the organisation recalled that the State Security Service (SSS) arrested a staff member of the newspaper over an inaccurate report alleging that the service invaded the National Assembly to facilitate the removal of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

“Once notified, Mr. Ajayi immediately ordered that the detained journalist be granted administrative bail. Through constructive engagement, the matter was later resolved, all charges filed in court were withdrawn, and the case was closed,” the organisation stated.

Penpushing reports that the body noted that, similarly, in February 2025, when the State Security Service (SSS) raised concerns over media reports relating to the Lagos State House of Assembly crisis, International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria said the Director-General chose dialogue over confrontation.

“Though understandably aggrieved, the DG worked patiently and collaboratively with us to resolve the dispute. The agency provided evidence that it had been invited by the Assembly leadership to secure the complex, and the matter was amicably settled without confrontation,” the statement said.

Penpushing further reports that the organization disclosed that in October 2025, without any prompting from the organisation, Ajayi ordered disciplinary action against officers involved in the arrest and detention of two journalists from Jay 101.9 FM, a private radio station in Jos, and directed the issuance of a formal apology to the journalists and their organisation.

The organisation said it publicly acknowledged Ajayi’s press freedom credentials not only to encourage him to do more, but also “to inspire other public officials, institutions, and organisations to emulate his example.”

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