The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has denied reports that Adeniran Adeyemi, the Statistician-General of the Federation, was summoned by the Department of State Services (DSS) for questioning.
The clarification comes amidst the recent release of a contentious report on ransom payments in Nigeria by the NBS, which revealed that Nigerians paid a staggering N2.23 trillion in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024.
The NBS published its Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey on December 17, sparking widespread reactions. However, less than 24 hours later, the agency’s website was hacked.
Rumours had it that Adeyemi was called in by the DSS for interrogation regarding the methodology and data used in the report.
Clarifying the rumours, Ichedi Sunday, Head of Communications at the NBS, has come out to dismiss the claims.
“I can authoritatively say the reports are not true,” he said on Thursday.
Sunday added that he was with Adeyemi until late Wednesday night when the news broke out, and there was no communication from the DSS. “I also spoke to him today, and I can confirm that he was never called by the DSS for interrogation,” Sunday said.