Security agents from the Department of State Services (DSS) took investigative journalist Adejuwon Soyinka into custody.
News About Nigeria reports that Soyinka, who is the Regional Editor of The Conversation Africa, was arrested at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Sunday.
According to a report by Punch, a friend of Soyinka’s alerted with a distress message, revealing that Soyinka was apprehended shortly after arriving from the UK.
The message stated that no explanation was provided for his arrest, and Soyinka was being held without access to communication.
The friend’s message provided further details, stating that Soyinka was detained at the airport around 5:40 am on Sunday, August 25, 2024, after arriving on a Virgin Atlantic flight from the UK.
The message emphasized that no reason had been given for his detention, and Soyinka was unreachable, with his phone calls and messages going unanswered.
The message reads in full “Adejuwon Soyinka has been detained by officers of the Department of State Security at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The incident happened around 5.40 am on Sunday, the 25th of August, 2024, shortly after he arrived in Nigeria via a Virgin Atlantic flight from the United Kingdom.
“As at 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 been unanswered.”
When asked for comment, the DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, claimed he was unaware of Soyinka’s arrest.
“I am not aware of the matter you have raised and have no comments on it,” he said.
