The Department of State Services (DSS) has released Nigerian journalist Adejuwon Soyinka after detaining him for more than six hours on Sunday.
Soyinka, the West African Regional Editor of The Conversation Africa, was arrested by DSS operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos around 5:40 a.m. upon his arrival from the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight.
Following his arrest, Soyinka was taken to the DSS headquarters annex in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he was held until approximately 12:30 p.m. before being granted bail.
According to sources, the DSS decided to release Soyinka on bail after intervention from the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria. As part of the bail conditions, the DSS seized his passport and requested that he provide his Nigerian address and a reliable phone number through which he can be contacted at any time while in the country.
Soyinka confirmed his release in a text message to *PREMIUM TIMES* at about 1:26 p.m. on Sunday. “I have just been released by the DSS (SSS) in Lagos. They are holding on to my passport, though. I am in an Uber ride ordered for me by the Deputy Director of DSS in Lagos,” he stated. Soyinka added that he would share more details about his experience once he reached home.
The specific reason for Soyinka’s arrest remains unclear. However, DSS officials later informed PREMIUM TIMES that the journalist was “intercepted” based on a request from another government agency.
