The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a legal warning to DAAR Communications Plc, owners of African Independent Television (AIT), and Channels Television over their reports alleging that DSS operatives forcefully entered the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday.
In a letter dated February 17, 2025, the DSS, through its legal representative, Chief Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, demanded that both media outlets retract the report and issue public apologies. The agency emphasized that the broadcasts misrepresented its actions and damaged its reputation.
The letter, titled “False, Defamatory, and Malicious Publication Concerning the State Security Service (DSS) Regarding Their Presence at the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday, February 17, 2025,” outlined the agency’s demands. The DSS insisted that both stations air retractions and apologies five times daily for three consecutive days. Failure to comply within seven days would leave the DSS with no choice but to take legal action.
According to the DSS’s counsel, security concerns had arisen over potential attacks on lawmakers, prompting the Clerk of the Assembly to request assistance from the DSS and the police. Despite this, the media outlets reported that the agency staged a forceful invasion.
This is not the first time the DSS has taken issue with media reports. In October 2024, the agency dropped legal proceedings against OrderPaper and nine of its staff members after they publicly apologized for falsely reporting that the DSS had stormed the National Assembly in an alleged move to remove Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
2025-02-19