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AFRICA INDEPENDENT TELEVISION AND CHANNELS TELEVISION APOLOGISE TO DEPARTMENT OF STATE SERVICES OVER LAGOS ASSEMBLY CRISIS REPORT

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  CapitalTimesNews / 2 weeks
• 0
• 2 min read

Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Channels Television have publicly apologised to the Department of State Services (DSS) for their reports on the agency’s involvement in the Lagos State House of Assembly crisis on February 17. AIT News retracted its initial report, clarifying that its reporting was based on eyewitness accounts but acknowledged that the information was incomplete and had unintentionally misrepresented the role of the DSS. “AIT News wishes to apologise to the Department of State Services for the news item broadcast during our bulletin on Monday 17th February 2025, regarding the presence of DSS at the Lagos State House of Assembly,” the station stated. Channels TV also offered an apology during its program, Politics Today, anchored by Seun Okinbaloye. Okinbaloye stated that the situation had been misinterpreted, with initial videos portraying a picture of lawmakers shocked by the DSS presence, suggesting an invasion by the DSS. However, it was later revealed that the clerk of the House had formally requested the DSS’s presence for protection. “It came to light in some of the letters that we actually now saw that it was the clerk of the Lagos Assembly who actually wrote for DSS protection at the House of Assembly,” Okinbaloye said. “I think it’s right to apologise to the service to say the use of invasion might not be the right word to use because it was portrayed as though the DSS invaded, they were not invited, but it came to light that there was no decency in how they carried out their work”. The DSS had threatened legal action against both media stations, accusing them of publishing false and malicious reports. The agency demanded an immediate retraction and public apology to be aired across all platforms for three consecutive days. The apologies come after the DSS refuted claims that it had engaged in any unlawful activities at the Assembly complex, explaining that its role was to support existing security forces.