Reply To: DSS Arrests Journalist Adejuwon Soyinka at Lagos Airport

[justseyi]

Update:

DSS Releases Journalist Adejuwon Soyinka After Airport Arrest

The Department of State Services (DSS) has released Adejuwon Soyinka, a journalist with The Conversation Africa, who was arrested on Sunday morning at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

Dayo Aiyetan, the Executive Director of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), confirmed Soyinka’s release in a post on X (formerly Twitter). At 1:36 pm, Aiyetan wrote, “Thank you everyone. Juwon Soyinka has just been released by @OfficialDSSNG in Lagos.”

Soyinka was arrested by DSS officials around 5:40 am after arriving from the United Kingdom and was taken into custody shortly afterward. As of now, the reasons for his arrest and subsequent detention remain unclear. The DSS has not disclosed if there were any specific conditions for his release.

Efforts to reach Peter Afunanya, the spokesperson for the DSS, for comments or clarification were unsuccessful. Phone calls, text messages, WhatsApp messages, and emails sent to him had not been responded to by the time of this report.

Soyinka’s arrest is part of a troubling trend of journalists facing increased scrutiny and detention by Nigerian authorities. Recently, ‘Fisayo Soyombo, founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), was released on bail after turning himself in at the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) on August 14. Similarly, FIJ reporter Daniel Ojukwu was abducted by the police in May, spending 10 days in detention before being released. As part of his bail conditions, Ojukwu must now travel from Lagos to Abuja every two weeks.

These incidents raise ongoing concerns about press freedom and the safety of journalists in Nigeria.