The Department of State Services (DSS) and its Director-General, Mr. Adeola Ajayi, alongside the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, have issued strong legal threats against an online news outlet over a report alleging the abduction and forced resignation of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) boss, Bayo Ojulari.
In separate statements and legal letters dated August 6, 2025, both agencies described the report, published on August 2, 2025, as false, defamatory, and damaging to their reputations.
The contested publication, titled “EFCC, SSS abduct NNPC BOSS Bayo Ojulari, force him to sign resignation letter after directive from Bola Tinubu’s paramour Olatimbo Ayinde”, alleged that Ojulari was seized and coerced by security operatives on the orders of a woman identified as a close associate of the President. The story featured photographs of Mr. Ajayi, Mr. Olukoyede, and a woman named Olatimbo Ajayi.
In a letter signed by Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), legal counsel to the DSS and its Director-General, the agency dismissed the allegations as “totally false, unfounded, libellous,” and accused the news outlet of portraying the DSS as a political intimidation tool.
“Our clients have been grievously maligned and injured in their integrity and character by your baseless publication,” the letter read.
The DSS demanded an immediate retraction and an unreserved apology on all platforms where the story appeared, warning that failure to comply within 48 hours would trigger civil and criminal proceedings under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act.
Similarly, a statement from EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, revealed that Olukoyede, through his lawyer Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), rejected any insinuation that he acted under the influence of a British-Nigerian oil businesswoman alleged to have sway in the current administration.
In his demand letter, Olukoyede insisted that the allegations were a complete fabrication aimed at portraying him as someone who compromised his office for personal or political directives.
He called for the immediate removal of the report from the outlet’s website and social media channels, along with an unreserved public apology, warning that non-compliance within 48 hours would lead to a defamation lawsuit.
Both agencies have vowed to pursue all available legal remedies should the online platform fail to meet their demands.
