Abuja – A retired officer of the Department of State Services (DSS), Nwaogu Ihechimere Ezeakolam, has apologised to the agency’s Director-General, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, and the Association of Retired DSS Officers of Nigeria (ARODSSON) for leaking an internal matter to the online news platform SaharaReporters.
In a letter addressed to the Director-General, Ezeakolam expressed deep regret over his decision to take the issue public.
He stated that it was never his intention to harm the Director-General or the office, or to expose them to legal difficulties.
“I recognise that internal matters are sensitive in nature and should not have been made available to the public. I humbly and sincerely apologise for the harm and embarrassment that my actions may have caused you and your reputable office. I assure you that I have learned a painful and important lesson from this incident,” the letter continued.
Ezeakolam reaffirmed his loyalty to the Federal Government, declaring: “My allegiance is and will remain wholly with the Federal Government of Nigeria as a retired officer. I have never participated, and will never participate, in any act that is inimical to the security of this nation.” He appealed to the Director-General “to temper justice with mercy and resolve the matter internally.”
Separately, through his lawyer, Edmund C. Ben of Lawminds Associates, Ezeakolam has written to SaharaReporters demanding the retraction of a report published on June 29, 2026. The letter, dated October 16, 2026, described the publication as one in which “the exalted office of the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and ARODSSON were denigrated.”
The lawyers acknowledged the media’s role in promoting transparency and accountability but stressed the need for factual accuracy, fairness, and the right of individuals to respond to potentially damaging reports. They demanded that SaharaReporters publish Ezeakolam’s official response and retract any inaccurate, misleading, or unsubstantiated claims.
The firm gave the platform seven days from receipt of the letter to comply, warning that failure to do so could lead to further legal action.
The development follows earlier reports in which Ezeakolam had publicly alleged detention and other grievances linked to an internal dispute involving welfare funds of the retired officers’ association. He has now characterised the decision to publicise those issues as a serious misjudgement.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no immediate public response from the DSS Director-General’s office or from SaharaReporters regarding the apology or the retraction demand.
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