LAGOS: The Department of State Services (DSS) has freed a journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, hours after he was picked up at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos
As of the time of filing this report, the reason for Soyinka’s arrest early Sunday was unknown, as DSS spokesman Peter Afunanya had not responded to inquiries by one of our correspondents.
Soyinka’s ordeal followed those of other journalists likThe reason surrounding Soyinka’s early Sunday arrest was still unknown as of the time when this report was filed since DSS spokesman Peter Afunanya had not replied to questions from one of our journalists.
Nevertheless, one of our correspondents received confirmation of the former BBC Pidgin Editor’s release from a close source. However, the source claimed that Soyinka’s travel passport was taken by the secret police.
Read also: DSS Arrests Ex-BBC Editor, Adejuwon Soyinka At Lagos Airportd
When Soyinka, the regional editor of The Conversation Africa, arrived at the Lagos airport from the United Kingdom at around five in the morning, she was taken into custody.
Daniel ojukwu and Segun Olarunji who spent weeks in the custody of state-sponsored security agents, a development that professional bodies Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) have described as an ugly trend.
The arbitrary arrest of journalists by the President Bola Tinubu administration has been criticized by many civil society organisations and pro-democracy activists who expressed strong resentment over the unsavoury development.
They described the Gestapo-styled arrest of journalists by state security agents, as an echo from the past, and a prominent feature of the dark years of military rule.
They said the ugly development impugned 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
