The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, has reportedly placed a N20 million bounty and ordered the detention of 16 DSS officers after revelations of a major promotion examination scandal exposed by Media.
According to insider sources, the scandal involved widespread malpractice, including manipulation of scores and favoritism towards certain candidates. The expose has sparked anger within and outside the agency.
According to report obtained by The News Chronicle, Ajayi’s main focus has been to identify and punish those leaking information to the press. He allegedly sent a top officer to contact people close to human rights activist last week.
This development comes after SaharaReporters’ earlier report on September 8, which revealed that eight DSS operatives died during the chaotic promotion exam exercise.
Officers complained that they were forced to pay for their own travel and accommodation without financial support from the service, creating extreme hardship and stress. Some reportedly collapsed or fell ill under the strain.
“It is with deep dismay that we note the release of the DSS promotion results,” one senior officer said. “The process led to the deaths of eight colleagues and forced personnel to bear the costs of logistics. To make matters worse, the exams lacked fairness and transparency.”
Insiders accused DSS leadership of assigning unqualified individuals to set and grade the tests, which resulted in an abysmally low pass rate. This has fueled resentment across all ranks.
Officers described the entire process as incompetent and unfair, adding that the leadership is now trying to cover up the deaths and poor results.
“This clampdown is all about silencing people so the public doesn’t find out what really happened under the new leadership,” a source said.
