The National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday, dismissed claims that the Department of State Services summoned the Statistician-General of the Federation, Adeniran Adeyemi.
The clarification followed the hacking of the NBS website and the subsequent leak of a controversial report on ransom payments in Nigeria.
The bureau had released its Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey on December 17, revealing that Nigerians paid N2.23 trillion in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024.
Shortly after the report’s publication, the NBS website was compromised.
Amid the fallout, rumours surfaced that the DSS had questioned Adeyemi regarding the methodology and data behind the report.
However, the NBS Head of Communications, Ichedi Sunday, refuted the claims, asserting that Adeyemi was never contacted by the DSS.
“I can authoritatively say the reports are not true,” Sunday stated. “I was with the Statistician-General late last night when the news broke, and there was no call from the DSS.
“Several platforms reached out to me, and I told them the information was false. I also spoke to him [Adeyemi] today. So, this is not true. I don’t know why such incorrect information is still being circulated,” he added.
