The Department of State Services (DSS) has released Adejuwon Soyinka, the West African editor of The Conversation Africa, following his arrest at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Soyinka, who is also the former pioneer editor of BBC Pidgin Service, was detained by DSS operatives early Sunday morning upon his arrival from the United Kingdom.
The circumstances surrounding Soyinka’s arrest were initially unclear. When first contacted, Peter Afunanya, the DSS spokesperson, stated that he was not aware of the journalist’s detention. However, Afunanya later confirmed that Soyinka had been detained at the request of another government agency.
Soyinka’s release was reportedly facilitated by the intervention of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria, a global network comprising editors, media executives, and communication professionals. The IPI’s involvement underscores growing concerns over the increasing crackdown on journalists in Nigeria.
The arrest of Soyinka is part of a broader pattern of intensified actions against journalists in the country. Earlier this year, several other journalists were detained by security forces. In March, Segun Olatunji, a former editor of FirstNews, was arrested in Lagos. In May, Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), was held by police for 10 days. Additionally, Jamil Mabai, a freelance journalist, was detained by the Katsina Hisbah religious police in the same month. Recently, the police arrested a whistleblower known as PIDOMNIGERIA.
The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has also been active in detaining journalists and whistleblowers based on petitions filed against them. These incidents have raised serious concerns about press freedom and the safety of journalists in Nigeria.