A retired officer of the Department of State Services, DSS, Nwaogu Ihechimere Ezeakolam, has tendered an apology to the Director-General of the Service, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, and the Association of Retired Officers of the DSS, ARODSSON, for publishing an internal Service matter on an online platform, SaharaReporters.
Ezeakolam has equally written SaharaReporters, through his lawyer, demanding a retraction of the report, which he said was full of inaccuracies, and gave the platform seven days to comply or face legal action.
In a letter dated September 22, 2026, addressed to the DGSS, the retired officer expressed regret over his decision to take the matter public.
“I write this letter with deep regret and humility, to apologise for my decision to escalate and publish an internal matter on an online media space. I acknowledge that making such publication was a serious error in judgment and I regret the consequences,” he wrote.
He said it was never his intention to cause harm to the DG or his office, or to expose him to legal difficulties, adding that he recognised that internal matters “are sensitive in nature and should not have been made available publicly.”
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“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 stated.
Emphasising his loyalty, Ezeakolam declared: “My allegiance is and will remain wholly to 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, therefore, pleaded with the Service helmsman “to temper justice with mercy and resolve the matter internally.”
However, in a pre-litigation letter dated October 16, 2026, Ezeakolam’s counsel, Edmund C. Ben, Principal Partner of Lawminds Associates, asked SaharaReporters to retract its June 29, 2026 publication, which he said denigrated the office of the DGSS and ARODSSON.
“We write to express our profound concern regarding the publication made by your online publication on 29th June 2026, wherein the exalted office of the Director-General of the Department of State Services and ARODSSON were denigrated,” the law firm stated.
“While we recognise the fundamental role of the media in promoting transparency, accountability, and public discourse, we also emphasise the importance of responsible journalism, factual accuracy, fairness, and the right of individuals to respond to publications that may adversely affect their reputation.”
The lawyer demanded the publication of “an official response by our client addressing the claims and assertions contained in the publication of 29th June 2026,” as well as “retract[ion of] any inaccurate or unsubstantiated claims.”
“Where any statements in the publication are found to be factually inaccurate, misleading, or unsupported by verifiable evidence, we demand their prompt correction and retraction,” he added.
Expressing optimism that the platform would cooperate, Ben, however, cautioned: “Should your newspaper fail to respond appropriately within seven days from the receipt of this letter on you, we reserve the right to consider further lawful steps available to address the matter.”
Crediblenewsng.com
