The Department of State Services (DSS) has released Adejuwon Soyinka, the former editor of BBC Pidgin Service and current West African editor for The Conversation Africa, after detaining him for several hours at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Soyinka was apprehended by DSS operatives upon his return from the UK on Sunday morning.
Although the exact reason for his detention was not initially disclosed. DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya initially denied knowledge of Soyinka’s detention when contacted, but later confirmed that Soyinka had been held at the request of another agency.
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The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria, an organization comprising editors, media executives, and communication experts, intervened, which facilitated Soyinka’s release.
This incident adds to a troubling trend of increasing hostility towards journalists in Nigeria. In March, Segun Olatunji, a former editor at FirstNews, was arrested in Lagos. In May, police detained Daniel Ojukwu of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) for 10 days, and Jamil Mabai, a freelance journalist, was held by the Katsina Hisbah religious police.
Additionally, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has been involved in the detention of various journalists and whistleblowers in response to petitions filed against them.
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