DSS boss seeks stronger support for cybercrime prosecutions

Oluwatosin Ajayi, Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), has urged for enhanced judicial and public backing for prosecuting cybercrime cases. Ajayi stated that successful convictions are crucial to deterring future offenders, particularly in cases involving online attacks against public officials.

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We are prosecuting some cases against that (Cybercrime) Act. Interestingly, some lawyers, even SANs have to defend them, even against me.

Speaking at the public presentation of "Electronic Evidence (Second Edition), A Compendium of Cases on Electronic Evidence, Volume 2 (2020–2025)" and the Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye Educational Foundation, Ajayi highlighted the DSS's efforts to identify impactful cybercrime cases. "We are prosecuting some cases against that (Cybercrime) Act. Interestingly, some lawyers, even SANs have to defend them, even against me," he noted, emphasizing that society only changes when offenders are held accountable.

Ajayi condemned defamatory attacks on individuals via digital platforms, warning that a failure to punish such acts could escalate from online abuse to physical violence. He specifically mentioned a case involving a presidential aspirant who allegedly disparaged the sitting President, noting it is currently in court. "What I’m saying is that we have to join hands from the bench to the prosecution, to all ensure that we have a country where nobody can wake up… pick up a phone and say that the sitting President is a criminal when no court in the land has convicted him, either here or anywhere in the land," the DG stated.

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What I’m saying is that we have to join hands from the bench to the prosecution, to all ensure that we have a country where nobody can wake up… pick up a phone and say that the sitting President is a criminal when no court in the land has convicted him, either here or anywhere in the land.

He appealed to legal practitioners and other stakeholders to support cybercrime prosecutions, including by filing amicus curiae briefs. Ajayi credited retired Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye for his consistent encouragement to strengthen the use of electronic evidence in investigations and prosecutions, acknowledging the judge's publications as valuable resources for security agencies.

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If you convict one person that has an impact, others will be picked up.