Journalist Detained for Six Hours by SSS at Lagos Airport Released, Passport Seized

The State Security Service (SSS) has released Adejuwon Soyinka, a Nigerian journalist and the West African Regional Editor of The Conversation Africa, after detaining him for more than six hours on Sunday.

Mr. Soyinka was arrested by SSS operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos around 5:40 a.m. upon his arrival from the United Kingdom on a Virgin Atlantic flight.

He was subsequently taken to the SSS headquarters annex in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he was held until approximately 12:30 p.m. before being granted bail.

Sources indicate that the SSS decided to grant bail following the intervention of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria. However, as a condition of his release, the SSS seized Mr. Soyinka’s passport and required him to provide his Nigerian address and a reliable phone number for future contact.

In a text message sent at around 1:26 p.m. on Sunday, Mr. Soyinka confirmed his release, stating, “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 also mentioned that he would share more details about his experience once he returned home.