President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, on receiving a press freedom award from the International Press Institute. The award recognizes Ajayi's commitment to journalists' rights since his appointment in August 2024. Tinubu commended the DSS for fostering dialogue with the media.
On December 2, 2025, at the Annual Conference of the International Press Institute in Abuja, Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), received a commendation award from the Nigerian National Committee of the IPI. The organization praised his "unmistakable commitment to press freedom and respect for journalists and media organisations" since his appointment in late August 2024.
The IPI highlighted a shift from past practices of "serial harassment, intimidation, and arrests of journalists" under previous DSS leadership. Specific cases included the swift release of journalist Adejuwon Soyinka in Lagos shortly after Ajayi's assumption of office, following IPI intervention. Ajayi also removed veteran journalist Lanre Arogundade's name from the DSS watchlist, where it had lingered since the 1980s despite prior assurances.
Other instances involved granting administrative bail to a staffer from Order Paper newspaper after an inaccurate report on the National Assembly, leading to withdrawn charges and case closure through engagement. In a separate matter, Ajayi ordered the release of a detained journalist on humanitarian grounds due to illness. In February 2025, disputes over false reports on the DSS's role in the Lagos State House of Assembly crisis were resolved amicably. Additionally, in October 2025, Ajayi initiated disciplinary action against officers who arrested two journalists from Jay 101.9 FM in Jos, followed by a formal apology.
President Tinubu, in a statement issued on December 21, 2025, by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, welcomed the award. He commended Ajayi for ensuring press freedom, upholding citizens' rights, and operating within the law. Tinubu noted that the DSS under Ajayi was "changing the narrative of hostility towards members of the press and fostering an atmosphere of dialogue." He urged other security agencies and officials to treat media as partners, not adversaries, and encouraged the DSS to sustain this approach to enable journalists' constitutional duties.
