Abimbola Olawunmi, an Abuja-based journalist, has told FIJ that officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) have been harassing her over a report she made.

Olawunmi said she had been receiving calls from the DSS since November 11 when, on Facebook, she narrated how Bisi Fayemi, a former first lady of Ekiti State, was arrested in Dubai in 2018 for laundering N500 million.

She said one of the DSS officers, who identified simply as Mr. Williams, called her on November 15, demanding that she present herself in Ekiti for questioning as there was a case of cyberbullying against her.

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Speaking with FIJ, Olawunmi said, “He called me on November 15, saying his name was Mr. Williams and there was a petition against me in Ekiti. He said I was accused of cyberbullying, and I should come down there.

“I told him I was based in Abuja and my publication was made on the internet, so if the DSS wanted to question me, they could invite me to their Abuja office, but he kept saying the petitioner was in Ekiti.”

Olawunmi said she had received several death threats on Facebook since her publication but she stood by her story and was willing to defend it in court if the need arose.

FIJ called Williams on Sunday morning, but after identifying himself, he refused to comment on Olawunmi’s matter.

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FIJ learnt that Bisi, wife of Kayode Fayemi, a former governor of Ekiti State, filed the petition to the commissioner of police in the state on November 14 through her lawyer, Luke Ekene Mbam of Octodas Attorneys (Topmost Chambers).

In the petition, she asked the commissioner to investigate Olawunmi’s “infractions, infringements and invasion of her privacy through nefarious, criminal, malicious and calculated posts capable of damaging her reputation”.

When FIJ called Sunday Abutu, spokesman for the Ekiti State Police Command, he declined to comment as of press time but said he would speak later.

When FIJ called Fayemi, she did not take our calls. We sent a text message to her, and she replied saying, “Yes, I wrote a petition against someone who has made very damaging and untrue allegations. It will take me a long time to get over the shock of these false allegations. I am not aware of any harassment, that is not who I am. Kind regards.”