Retired SSS Officer Apologises to Director-General After Controversy

A retired officer of the State Security Service (SSS), Nwaogu Ezeakolam, has said sorry to the agency's director-general for making an internal issue public.

His apology came months after he accused SSS officers of detaining him after he raised concerns about the management of welfare funds meant for retired officers.

He claimed he was tortured and held for 21 days after a petition accused him of being a commander for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Ezeakolam alleged that the leadership of the Association of Retired Department of State Services Officers of Nigeria (ARODSSON) in Abuja set up the petition after he complained about the management of these welfare funds.

Mr Ezeakolam also threatened to sue SaharaReporters, which reported his claims in July. He wants a retraction of what he now sees as false claims.

In a letter dated 22 September, Mr Ezeakolam asked SSS Director-General, Oluwatosin Ajayi, to forgive him for going public, calling his choice a "serious error in judgment."

The situation surrounding the apology and the legal threat raises questions about how the dispute was managed. But the documents available do not show that Mr Ezeakolam was forced to apologise or that the two actions are linked.

"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," he wrote in his letter to Mr Ajayi. He stated he learned a "painful and important lesson from this incident."

He added that he did not mean to harm Mr Ajayi or put him in "legal difficulties." He now understands that internal matters are sensitive and should not have been made public.

"I humbly and sincerely apologise for the harm and embarrassment that my actions may have caused you and your reputable office," he continued, promising his loyalty to the Nigerian government.

Mr Ezeakolam, who left service in April 2010, appealed to the director-general to forgive him and settle the matter internally.

"I plead with you, sir, to temper justice with mercy and resolve the matter internally," he wrote.

The letter did not detail the consequences Mr Ezeakolam faced for his disclosure or if the SSS started any internal disciplinary action against him.

In a SaharaReporters article published on 29 July, Mr Ezeakolam claimed that his dispute with the association's leadership worsened after he asked for transparency in managing funds meant for retired officers.

He served as the secretary of the association's welfare committee. He prepared a report and a memorandum on 13 December 2025, urging the leadership to distribute welfare funds according to the association's rules.

He accused the FCT chapter chairman, retired officer James Maha, of financial misconduct. This included mismanaging over N72 million belonging to the association.

He also alleged that a monthly welfare grant of N1 million approved by the SSS director-general for retired officers was diverted.

These claims have not been proven true.

Mr Ezeakolam said the dispute escalated when the association's leadership allegedly petitioned the SSS against him.

He claimed the petition, dated 4 March, was written by Mr Maha and signed by Daniel Okoliko, the association's FCT chapter public relations officer.

Mr Ezeakolam alleged the petition called him an "IPOB and unknown gunmen commander" in Abuja. It accused him of being a fake retired SSS officer and said he planned to bomb the SSS headquarters using improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

He insisted these accusations were false and said the petition led to his arrest and detention.

The report did not include a response from the association's leadership or the SSS regarding these specific allegations.

It is not clear if he withdrew the main allegations about the welfare funds or his claims about his treatment while detained. His apology focused on making internal matters public.

According to the SaharaReporters article, Mr Ezeakolam said he was arrested on 7 April while visiting the SSS national headquarters in Abuja to submit intelligence reports on security issues in Nigeria’s South-east region.

He said officers arrested him around 12:30 p.m. inside the office of the assistant director-general of operations.

He claimed he was tortured and held by the Nigerian Hunter and Forest Security Service (NHFSS), who said they were following orders from Mr Ajayi.

He said he was later brought before an assistant director of security investigations named Dayo but was not told the charges against him despite asking many times.

Mr Ezeakolam also claimed that while he was detained, an investigating officer threatened to chain him up and have officers beat him if he insisted on seeing the petition against him before making a statement.

These claims have not been independently verified.

On 27 April 2026, after what he called 21 days in SSS custody, Mr Ezeakolam said he was taken to a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja.

He faced a single charge of allegedly inciting the public and spreading hate against the federal government, the SSS director-general, and President Bola Tinubu on the association’s WhatsApp platform.

He pleaded not guilty.

The court granted him bail of N200,000, with two civil servants as sureties. But he stayed in Keffi prison until he met the bail conditions.

He also claimed that when he went back to the SSS headquarters on 29 April to collect his things, some of his personal items, including prescription glasses, two mobile phones, and intelligence reports, were missing.

SaharaReporters based its report on his account of the magistrates’ court proceedings.

Mr Ezeakolam's legal issues continued after the magistrates’ court case.

On 6 August, the SSS brought him before the Federal High Court in Abuja on four counts related to being a member of IPOB, supporting the banned group, and using social media for its cause.

He pleaded not guilty to these charges. The court ordered him to stay at Kuje Correctional Centre while he applied for bail and set 29 October for the trial to start.

It is unclear if the federal case is connected to the association’s petition or if either case led to his apology.

In another letter dated 16 October, Mr Ezeakolam’s lawyer, Edmund Ben, demanded that SaharaReporters publish his client's response to its report and retract any false claims.

The lawyer accused the publication of disrespecting the office of the SSS director-general 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 (DSS) and ARODSSON were denigrated," the letter stated.

However, the SaharaReporters article about Mr Ezeakolam's claims was published on 29 July 2026, not 29 June as the lawyer's letter said.

Mr Ben demanded that the publication include his client’s official response and correct any statements found to be inaccurate or misleading.

He gave the outlet seven days to comply, warning that his client could take legal action if it does not respond properly.

The letter did not confirm if a lawsuit had been filed or specify which claims in the original report Mr Ezeakolam disagrees with.

SaharaReporters has not publicly responded to this legal threat.