Ex-SSS officer who alleged detention, torture over welfare funds apologises to DG

A retired officer of the State Security Service (SSS, also known as DSS), Nwaogu Ezeakolam, has apologised to the agency’s director-general for taking an internal dispute public.

His apology came months after he accused SSS operatives of detaining him after he complained about the alleged mismanagement of welfare funds belonging to an association of retired officers.

His apology came months after alleging that he was tortured and detained for 21 days following a petition that accused him of being an Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) commander. The former officer alleged that the leadership of the Association of Retired Department of State Services Officers of Nigeria (ARODSSON) in Abuja orchestrated the petition after he complained about the alleged mismanagement of welfare funds belonging to an association of retired officers.

Mr Ezeakolam has also threatened to sue SaharaReporters, which published his allegations in July, demanding a retraction of claims he now considers inaccurate.

In a letter dated 22 September, Mr Ezeakolam appealed to the SSS Director-General, Oluwatosin Ajayi, to forgive him for taking the matter to the public, describing his decision as a “serious error in judgment.”

The circumstances surrounding the apology and the subsequent legal threat raise questions about the handling of the dispute. However, the available documents do not establish that Mr Ezeakolam was compelled to apologise or that the separate actions were connected.

“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 the letter to Mr Ajayi, saying he has learned a “painful and important lesson from this incident.”

Mr Ezeakolam said he had not intended to harm Mr Ajayi or expose him to “legal difficulties,” adding that he now recognised that internal matters were 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 added, pledging his allegiance to the Nigerian government.

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

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

The letter did not specify the consequences Mr Ezeakolam faced over the disclosure or whether the SSS had initiated any internal disciplinary proceedings against him.

The backstory

In a SaharaReporters story published on 29 July, Mr Ezeakolam was quoted as alleging that his dispute with the association’s leadership escalated after he demanded transparency and accountability in the management of funds meant for retired officers.
He said he served as secretary of the association’s welfare committee and prepared a report and memorandum dated 13 December 2025, urging the leadership to distribute welfare funds in line with the association’s constitution.

He accused the FCT chapter chairman, retired officer James Maha, of financial impropriety, including the alleged mismanagement of more than 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 had been diverted from its intended purpose.

The allegations have not been independently established.

According to Mr Ezeakolam, the dispute took a more serious turn after the association’s leadership allegedly petitioned the SSS against him.

He said the petition, dated 4 March, was prepared by Mr Maha and signed by Daniel Okoliko, the association’s FCT chapter public relations officer.

Mr Ezeakolam alleged that the petition described him as an “IPOB and unknown gunmen commander” in Abuja, accused him of being a fake retired SSS officer and alleged that he was planning to bomb the SSS headquarters with improvised explosive devices (IEDs)

He maintained that the accusations were false and said the petition was responsible for his arrest and subsequent detention.

Neither the association’s leadership nor the SSS’s response to these specific allegations was contained in the report.

It remains unclear whether he withdrew the substantive allegations concerning the welfare funds or his alleged treatment in detention. His apology, as contained in the available letter, focused on the decision to publicise an internal matter.

‘Arrested at SSS headquarters’

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

According to his account, he was inside the office complex of the assistant director-general of operations at about 12:30 p.m. when officers apprehended him.

He said he was arrested, tortured and detained by officers and men of the Nigerian Hunter and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) who informed him that they were acting strictly on the directives and orders of the DG SSS (DSS), Mr Ajayi.

He said he was later taken before an assistant director of security investigations identified as Dayo but was not informed of the allegations against him despite repeated requests.

Mr Ezeakolam also alleged that, during his detention, an investigating officer threatened to chain his neck, hands and legs and have officers beat him after he insisted that he should be shown the petition against him before making a statement.

These allegations have not been independently verified.

Arraigned after 21 days in custody

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

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

He pleaded not guilty.

According to his account, the court granted him bail in the sum of N200,000, with two civil servants on Grade Level 10 as sureties, but he remained in custody at Keffi prison until the bail conditions were met.

He further alleged that when he returned to SSS headquarters on 29 April to retrieve his belongings, some of his personal items, including prescription glasses, two mobile phones and copies of intelligence reports, were missing.

The details of the magistrates’ court proceedings were reported by SaharaReporters based on his account.

Separate IPOB-related prosecution

The retired officer’s legal troubles continued after the magistrates’ court case.

On 6 August, the SSS arraigned him before the Federal High Court in Abuja on four counts involving alleged membership of IPOB, providing support to the proscribed organisation and using social media to advance its cause.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court ordered that he be remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre pending his bail application and fixed 29 October for the commencement of trial.

The available information does not establish whether the federal prosecution is connected to the association’s petition or whether either case prompted his subsequent apology.

Lawyer demands retraction

In a separate letter dated 16 October, Mr Ezeakolam’s lawyer, Edmund Ben, principal partner of Lawminds Associates, demanded that SaharaReporters publish his client’s response to its report and retract any inaccurate or unsubstantiated claims.

The lawyer accused the publication of denigrating 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.

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However, the SaharaReporters story concerning Mr Ezeakolam’s allegations was published on 29 July 2026, not 29 June as stated in the lawyer’s letter.

Mr Ben demanded that the publication carry his client’s official response and correct or retract statements found to be factually inaccurate, misleading or unsupported by evidence.

He gave the outlet seven days from receipt of the letter to comply, warning that his client reserved the right to pursue legal remedies if it failed to respond appropriately.

The letter did not establish that a lawsuit had been filed or specify which particular allegations in the original report Mr Ezeakolam disputes.

SaharaReporters has not publicly responded to this threat.