The Department of State Services (DSS) has released journalist Adejuwon Soyinka, just hours after he was detained at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
At the time of filing this report, the reason for Soyinka’s arrest early Sunday morning remained unclear, as DSS spokesman Peter Afunanya had not responded to inquiries from one of our correspondents.
However, a source close to the former BBC Pidgin Editor confirmed his release to one of our correspondents but mentioned that the secret police had confiscated Soyinka’s travel passport.
Soyinka, who is the Regional Editor of The Conversation Africa, was arrested around 5 a.m. upon his arrival at Lagos airport from the United Kingdom.
Crackdown On Journalists
Soyinka’s situation follows the recent cases of other journalists, such as Daniel Ojukwu and Segun Olatunji, who were held for weeks by state-sponsored security agents. This trend has been condemned by professional organizations like the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria), who view it as a disturbing pattern.
The arbitrary detention of journalists under President Bola Tinubu’s administration has been criticized by numerous civil society organizations and pro-democracy activists.
They have expressed strong disapproval of this troubling development, likening the Gestapo-style arrests to practices from Nigeria’s dark years of military rule. They argue that such actions undermine press freedom, 25 years after Nigeria transitioned from dictatorial rule to democratic governance.
Earlier on Sunday, before Soyinka’s release, global rights group Amnesty International demanded the immediate release of the journalist.
“The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Juwon Soyinka, who was arrested by the Dept. of State Services (DSS) early today at Lagos airport. The manner of his arrest puts him at the risk of torture and other ill-treatment,” the group wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Juwon Soyinka, who was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) earlier today at Lagos airport. The circumstances of his arrest put him at risk of torture and other forms of mistreatment.
Also, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) said the current “administration must end the persecution of journalists simply for doing their job”.
“We’re concerned that Soyinka’s arrest is part of a growing crackdown against journalists, whistleblowers and human rights defenders in Nigeria.
“The harassment and intimidation of journalists and whistleblowers shows that the Tinubu administration is intolerant of peaceful dissent. This is entirely incompatible with democratic principles and the rule of law.”