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Since becoming the Director-General of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) in August 2024, he has proven to be a breath of fresh air, demonstrating a high level of vision and drive, which has changed the narrative of the intelligence agency.
He has also demonstrated high level of courage by taking the fight to terrorists, bandits, and separatists, and ensured they faced the full weight of the law; purging the Service of corrupt and unprofessional elements, restructuring for a modern and effective DSS; paying compensation and offering public apologies through corrective action; restoring faith that security agencies can be responsible and humane; and combining hard security with soft power through rescue operations, welfare programmes and outreach to the vulnerable and less privileged.
With a doctrine: “No sanctuary for terrorists, no impunity for criminals,” he has shifted the DSS modus operandi from passive intelligence to proactive prosecution and deterrence. At multiple national security fora, he has displayed the courage to advocate for stiffer penalties for terrorism and kidnapping, including the severest punishment of death penalty for convicts.
His position has been: “To save the lives of thousands of innocent Nigerians, the law must take its full course on those who take lives without remorse.” Towards this end, there has been a combination of successful terrorism prosecutions, death sentences for kidnappers and terrorists, dismantling of terror support networks, and the willingness to acknowledge mistakes, compensate victims and sanction erring personnel, never seen in the history of DSS.
His courage to get terrorists and high-caliber criminals punished has been demonstrated in the way the Service under his leadership has secured a series of landmark convictions against some of Nigeria’s most dangerous terrorists and kidnappers.
In a case instituted by the DSS at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Emeka Nwite convicted and sentenced top Ansaru terrorist commanders, Mahmud Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a) and Abubakar Abba (alias Mahmud Al-Nigeri), for terrorism and kidnapping offences. The two commanders were linked to several deadly operations in the country. Although they received life imprisonment, the DSS moved to appeal the judgment, insisting that the gravity of their crimes warrants the maximum punishment (death sentence) under the law.
The DSS successfully prosecuted three members of a cross-border terrorist and illegal arms trafficking syndicate. Justice Muhammad Bello of the Sokoto State High Court sentenced them to death by hanging.
The DSS under his watch dismantled terrorist support networks by securing the conviction of Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi—the mother and sister of a slain terrorist kingpin. A Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced both women to 40 years imprisonment for aiding terrorism by serving as information couriers for the insurgent network.
He has ensured the arrest, prosecution and sentencing of Papari School attack suspects, including Yusuf Mohammed a.k.a. Bature, and four others behind attacks on schools, thereby sending a signal that targeting children will attract the highest penalty.
The DSS investigations resulted in death sentences for four terrorists linked to the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. The Federal High Court in Abuja, on June 3, 2026, sentenced them to death by hanging for their roles in the attack, which killed over 40 worshippers.
In Ekiti State, the DSS successfully prosecuted and secured death sentence for Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar arrested for kidnapping Omoboade Adesina, a staff member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The Chief Judge of the state, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, sentenced them to death by hanging.
Ajayi has ensured the arrest and prosecution of notorious criminals, including international terror/banditry figures such as Abdulazeez Obadaki aka ‘Bomboy’ and other high-value targets across the North-West and North-Central. Many rescue operations have had the imprimatur of the DSS under his leadership. In one of the nation’s most coordinated recent rescue operations, the DSS and joint forces successfully freed kidnapped school pupils and teachers in Oriire LGA, Oyo State. The operation, credited for its strategic intelligence, led to the arrest of eight kidnappers and neutralisation of others without the payment of ransom.
The DSS and allied forest guards also conducted coordinated rescue operations in Kwara State, successfully freeing kidnap victims including two young children. There was also the rescue of Dr. Samuel Okunsebo, the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Nasarawa State University, Keffi who was abducted in a boundary community in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
Beyond operational achievements, the DSS under his leadership has shown courage to admit fault and make amends through compensation and restorative justice. In line with rule of law, he initiated an ongoing review of pending and inherited detention cases to correct institutional errors and uphold citizens’ rights. Under his watch, over N300 million has been paid in compensation to persons wrongfully arrested and detained, aimed at strengthening public confidence through accountability and respect for human rights.
One of them was a quarry operator Abdulyekini Salihu, who was detained from 2022 due to mistaken identity. He was released, publicly apologised to, awarded an initial N10 million compensation and granted lifetime free medical care. Also, 11 persons arrested in Osun State on terrorism-related allegations were released after investigations cleared them of wrongdoing, with the DSS paying them compensation running into several millions of naira.
His reforms at DSS also benefited Mohammed Ciroma Jr., a 400-level Computer Science student of Modibbo Adama University, Yola. Following a review of his detention, the DSS facilitated his return to school and awarded him a full scholarship. In another case, an Abuja businesswoman, Mrs. Chineze Ozoadibe, who was wrongfully arrested and transferred to the DSS by another security agency over alleged illegal bunkering, regained her freedom and received N10 million compensation. Five other wrongfully detained persons also shared an additional N10 million.
The DSS under his watch further demonstrated its willingness to honour judicial decisions by paying N20 million to a Jos-based businessman who was mistakenly shot during an operation in 2016. The payment doubled the N10 million earlier awarded by the court and included lifetime medical care. Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor linked to IPOB was exonerated after a revisited investigation and awarded N5 million, alongside free medical care. Also, Nura Idris, wrongfully linked to Boko Haram, was cleared, freed and awarded N3 million for immediate needs and reintegration.
In a deeply personal gesture, the Service exhibited an act of remorse and restitution that is unprecedented in Nigeria’s security history. The Service is out to build a restaurant in memory of Calista Ifedi, the late wife of Sunday Ifedi who died while she and her husband were in DSS custody at Wawa facility, relating to unsubstantiated links to IPOB.
His reforms are equally extended to media relations. At one instance, following the wrongful arrest of two Jay 101.9 FM journalists during President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Plateau State, he ordered their immediate release, apologised to the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), directed a full investigation and pledged disciplinary action against officers found responsible.
The reforms at the DSS reflect his resolve to build a more intelligence-driven, professional and accountable Service that combines firm action against terrorists and criminals with respect for citizens’ constitutional rights. The DSS now engages more in preventive intelligence, focusing on neutralising threats before they escalate, rather than reacting after attacks happen or when damage has been done.
The Board of Editors of The Sun found him worthy to receive the Courage in Leadership Award for 2026.
