The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a stern warning to two major Nigerian broadcast stations, Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Channels Television, threatening legal action over what it describes as “false and malicious reports” about the agency’s involvement in the recent crisis at the Lagos State House of Assembly.
According to the DSS, both stations aired misleading reports alleging that its operatives, alongside the Nigeria Police, had “stormed or invaded” the Assembly complex on the 17th of February, 2025.
However, a newly surfaced letter revealed that the House had formally requested the DSS’s presence to bolster security around the premises amid rising tensions.
The letter, reportedly sent by the Acting Clerk of the Lagos Assembly on the 14th February, 2025, cited concerns over the impeached Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa’s alleged plans to reclaim his position.
Acting on this request, DSS operatives were deployed on the 16th of February to maintain order.
In a statement issued on the 18th of February, the DSS, through its legal representative, Chief Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, refuted the claims of an “invasion,” clarifying that the agency was acting on official invitation.
The agency formally communicated its grievances to the media houses through letters dated 17th of February, 2025, in which it accused them of disseminating an unverified narrative that painted the DSS as an aggressive force meddling in political affairs.
The letter read in part:
“Without verifying the reasons behind our officials’ presence at the Assembly on February 17, 2025, your organization falsely and maliciously reported that we stormed the complex to prevent members and the Speaker from accessing the chamber for plenary.”
It further emphasized that this portrayal depicted the DSS as “an irresponsible and reckless organization acting in a Gestapo manner to support a feuding party while desecrating the Assembly chambers.”
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According to the DSS, such reporting had gravely damaged its reputation, misleading the public and violating journalistic ethics by failing to present a balanced perspective.
Consequently, the agency has demanded:
- An immediate retraction of the reports across all news platforms.
- A formal apology, broadcast five times daily for three consecutive days across all TV, print, and social media platforms owned by the stations.
The DSS warned that failure to comply within seven days would result in both civil and criminal legal action, citing violations of the Nigeria Cybercrimes Act (2015), recently amended in 2024.