The Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, has committed to creating a favourable atmosphere for journalists and other media workers in Nigeria to practice.
Making the commitment in a letter to the President of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria, Musikilu Mojeed, Mr Ajayi said he will “champion fair treatment of journalists and create conducive atmosphere for them to carry out their legitimate duties, in line with the drive of President Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) to protect all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, religion or profession”.
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The SSS DG was reacting to the commendation award conferred on him by IPI Nigeria. In the letter dated 19 December, 2025, which he personally signed, Mr Ajayi also said that, “I have initiated further engagements with my colleagues and heads of other security agencies, to prioritise protection and fair treatment of members of the Press across the country”.
He commended IPI Nigeria’s sustained efforts to ensure balanced reportage of delicate national security and developmental issues, and reassured of his continued cooperation with the organisation and its members.
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A press statement signed by the IPI Nigeria’s Secretary, Ahmed I. Shekarau, recalled that the organisation, at its 2025 annual conference held on the 2nd of this month in Abuja, conferred a commendation award on the SSS DG, for his notable commitment to media freedom and safety of journalists.
In justifying the award, IPI Nigeria disclosed that since his appointment as director-general of the Service in late August 2024, Mr Ajayi has demonstrated “an unmistakable commitment to press freedom and respect for journalists and media organisations”.
According to the media advocacy body: “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”.
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Among the examples cited to illustrate the transformation in the SSS, IPI Nigeria noted that barely hours into his tenure, a journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, was intercepted and detained in Lagos, but “within hours of IPI Nigeria bringing the matter to his attention, Mr Ajayi directed the Lagos Command to release the journalist immediately”.
Similarly, the SSS DG’s handling of a case of Mr. Lanre Arogundade, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), was another reference point. For decades, Mr. Arogundade had suffered humiliating treatment at Nigeria’s borders, having been placed on the SSS watchlist since the 1980s. Despite years of advocacy, previous assurances that his name had been removed turned out to be untrue until Mr. Ajayi acted swiftly on the matter shortly after a formal complaint was presented to him by IPI Nigeria.
“In the Order Paper case, the SSS arrested a staff member of the newspaper following an inaccurate report alleging 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.
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“In February 2025, the SSS contacted IPI Nigeria, accusing several media organisations of publishing falsehoods about its role in the Lagos Assembly crisis. 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.
“In October 2025, without any prompting from IPI Nigeria, Mr 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. He subsequently caused the SSS to issue a formal apology to the journalists and their organisation”, said IPI Nigeria.
The organisation said it publicly acknowledged the commendable press freedom credentials of the SSS DG to encourage him to do even more, “and to inspire other officials, institutions, and organisations to emulate his example”.
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