DSS releases journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, passport Withheld

“He has been released. They held onto his passport. He was released from their Ikoyi office,” – Adejuwon Soyinka‘s friend

Adejuwon Soyinka, the Regional Editor of The Conversation Africa and a well-known investigative journalist, has been released after being detained by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). Soyinka was arrested at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Sunday morning.

According to The Punch, one of Soyinka’s friends, he was taken into custody shortly after arriving in Nigeria from the United Kingdom on a Virgin Atlantic flight. The arrest occurred around 5:40 a.m. The friend noted that no reason was provided for Soyinka’s detention, and that he had been held incommunicado since the incident.

The message read, “Adejuwon Soyinka has been detained by officers of the Department of State Security at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The incident happened around 5:40 a.m. on Sunday, August 25, 2024, shortly after he arrived in Nigeria via a Virgin Atlantic flight from the United Kingdom. As of the time of this report, no reason had been given for his detention by the security agency. Soyinka has not been reachable as messages and calls to his phone have gone unanswered.”

When reached for comment, DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya stated that he was unaware of Soyinka’s arrest and declined to comment further. “I am not aware of the matter you have raised and have no comments on it,” he said.

However, in a follow-up message, Soyinka’s friend confirmed that he had been released from DSS custody, though his passport was confiscated. The release reportedly took place at the DSS office in Ikoyi. “He has been released. They held onto his passport. He was released from their Ikoyi office,” the friend told the correspondent.

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