Human rights activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has demanded the immediate removal of the Director-General of the State Security Service, Tosin Ajayi, accusing him of allegedly turning the intelligence agency into an instrument of personal retaliation.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ELLAN.png")
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-Summer-IDRI-Masterclass.jpg")
Sowore made the demand in a lengthy statement posted on X on Tuesday, in which he accused Ajayi of abusing the powers of the SSS in connection with his ongoing prosecution and other encounters with the agency.
The activist claimed that the SSS chief had become increasingly desperate following what he described as the collapse of the criminal case instituted against him over his criticism of President Bola Tinubu.
“Something is eating away at SSS DG Tosin Ajayi, and his increasingly desperate conduct shows it,” Sowore wrote.
He said he had warned Ajayi at the beginning of what he described as the “disastrous ‘Tinubu is a criminal’ prosecution” that the office of the SSS Director-General was not his private estate.
“I reminded him that the office of SSS DG is not his personal estate; he occupies it at the pleasure of the Nigerian people,” he stated.
Sowore further alleged that he had received information that Ajayi boasted that he would secure his conviction before Justice M.G. Umar. The activist, however, did not provide independent evidence supporting the alleged statement.
“Yet, I was reliably informed that he boasted that he would get Justice M.G. Umar to jail me,” he alleged.
According to Sowore, prosecutors led by Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, secured an order remanding him at the Kuje Correctional Centre, where he claimed he was exposed to inmates suffering from tuberculosis.
He also alleged that SSS operatives invaded the Federal High Court, abducted him at gunpoint and detained him in the basement of the court.
“His prosecutors, led by Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, got me sent to Kuje Prison. I was subjected to conditions that exposed me to inmates suffering from tuberculosis,” he wrote.
“Earlier that day, his operatives had invaded the Federal High Court and abducted me at gunpoint and held me to ransom at the court’s basement.”
Sowore also accused SSS operatives of unlawfully detaining his assistant, Zainab Sodiq, after his release, seizing their mobile phones and confiscating a drone he said was used for election monitoring.
He alleged that threats were made that Sodiq would not be released unless he deleted posts criticising Ajayi and accusing the security agency of lawlessness.
“Upon my release, his operatives unlawfully detained my assistant, Zainab Sodiq, seized our phones and confiscated my drone used for election monitoring,” Sowore alleged.
“There were even boasts that she would not be released unless I deleted my tweets criticising Tosin Ajayi and calling the SSS lawless.”
He further alleged that when his lead counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, confronted the developments in court, the judge threatened to “deal with” the lawyer.
Sowore said neither he nor his legal team was intimidated by the alleged developments.
“But we did not back down,” he declared.
The activist also alleged that some individuals were mobilised and paid to protest against him at the Federal High Court during the proceedings.
“Then came the protests at the Federal High Court. People we knew were paid to demonstrate against me came in droves. They lasted for days before the scheme was exposed, and they eventually packed up and left,” he alleged.
He claimed that the prosecution had now “spectacularly run aground,” accusing the SSS of resorting to what he described as the “bizarre legal invention” of purportedly pausing a criminal trial.
Sowore also linked the controversy to an alleged surveillance operation against him in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he attended the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference.
He had earlier claimed that a SpyTec GPS GL300 tracking device was discovered underneath a vehicle used by his team during the conference.
Sowore identified the device’s International Mobile Equipment Identity number as 860201067972185 and said he would continue investigating until those responsible for its deployment were identified.
“We will keep tracking the trackers at the SSS until we establish exactly who deployed this device, and we know their intention already,” he said.
According to him, the device was discovered after members of his team noticed what they considered suspicious movements following his appearance at a gathering organised by the Kay Hikers group.
He said he subsequently changed vehicles, after which the device was allegedly discovered underneath the security vehicle used by his team.
Sowore has not provided independent evidence establishing that the SSS deployed the device, while the agency has not publicly confirmed responsibility for the alleged surveillance equipment.
In his latest statement, the activist alleged that Ajayi’s purported attempt to monitor his movements during the NBA conference had failed.
“But Tosin Ajayi still cannot rest,” Sowore wrote.
He also accused the SSS leadership of relying on public relations campaigns and media appearances by alleged supporters to defend Ajayi.
Sowore claimed that some individuals presenting themselves as leaders of the National Association of Nigerian Students and the National Association of Polytechnic Students had organised media appearances and press conferences in support of the SSS chief.
He questioned why the head of a national intelligence agency would allegedly require such public demonstrations of support.
“Why does the head of a supposedly powerful intelligence agency need this much manufactured validation?” he asked.
Sowore maintained that the SSS should function as a professional national security institution governed by law and not as an instrument of personal retaliation.
“The SSS is a national security institution, not Tosin Ajayi’s personal revenge machine or public-relations department,” he stated.
“Something is eating away at Tosin Ajayi, and this spectacle is becoming unhealthy for the SSS and dangerous for Nigeria.”
Calling for Ajayi’s removal, Sowore said: “He should be relieved of his duties immediately.
“Nigeria needs a professional intelligence service governed by law, not one driven by the ego, insecurities and political misadventures of its Director-General.”
Neither Ajayi nor the SSS had publicly responded to the latest allegations at the time of filing this report.
“Order Justice Omolaye-Ajileye’s Electronic Evidence Books Now” — Essential Guides On Evidence Act, Case Law And Digital Proof
[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
Available now for NGN 40,000 at ASC Publications, 10, Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos. Beside High Court, TBS. Email publications@ayindesanni.com or WhatsApp +2347056667384. Purchase Link: https://paystack.com/buy/evidence-act-complete-annotation
______________________________________________________________________ “Enhance Legal Practice With Authoritative Reports” — Alexander Payne Offers Comprehensive Law Reports, Spanning Over A Century Of Nigerian Jurisprudence
Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via:
0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888
Website: www.alexandernigeria.com
The book also examines Nigeria's legal ecosystem, focusing on the LPELR and NBA AI Guidelines. As a bonus, every purchase comes with a FREE eBook titled: How to Use the AI Features in LegalPedia and LawPavilion.
Ohio Books Ltd praises the publication, stating:
"....this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic."
How to Order:
📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878
📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com
🌎 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access it directly online at https://selar.com/prv626
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACIarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
______________________________________________________________________
