Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Channels Television have publicly apologized to the Department of State Services (DSS) over their reports regarding the agency’s involvement in the Lagos State House of Assembly crisis on February 17.
In an official statement during its News Hour program, AIT News acknowledged that its earlier report—based on eyewitness accounts—was incomplete and inadvertently misrepresented the DSS’s role.
The statement read, “AIT News wishes to apologise to the Department of State Services for the news item broadcast during our bulletin on Monday 17th February 2025… Our reporting was based on eyewitness accounts obtained from sources at the Lagos State House of Assembly. However, we recognize that the report may have unintentionally misrepresented the service and its presence at the House, and we regret any embarrassment caused.”
Similarly, Channels Television extended an apology on its Politics Today program, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, where former Assistant Director-General of the DSS, Muhammed Ngoshe, was a guest. Okinbaloye explained that initial video footage had created a misleading impression that lawmakers were in shock over an uninvited DSS presence, when in fact, it later emerged that the House clerk had formally requested DSS protection.
“It came to light in some of the letters that the DSS was actually invited by the clerk of the Lagos Assembly. The video made it appear as though the DSS had invaded, which was not the case. An apology for using ‘invasion’ is warranted,” Okinbaloye said, adding that the apology should be formally extended to the DSS.
These public apologies come after the DSS threatened legal action against both media stations for publishing false and malicious reports, insisting that its role is solely to support existing security forces and that it has not engaged in any unlawful activities.
The DSS demanded an immediate retraction and a public apology on all platforms for three consecutive days, warning that failure to comply within seven days could lead to civil and criminal actions under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act.
