Adejuwon Soyinka, the Regional Editor of The Conversation Africa and an investigative journalist, has been released after being detained by the Department of State Services (DSS). Soyinka was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Sunday shortly after arriving from the United Kingdom.
A distress message sent to The PUNCH by one of Soyinka’s friends revealed that DSS operatives picked him up without any explanation for his arrest and held him incommunicado. The circumstances surrounding his detention and subsequent release remain unclear.
The message read, “Adejuwon Soyinka has been detained by Department of State Security officers 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 contacted, the DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya said he was not aware of Soyinka’s arrest.
“I am not aware of the matter you have raised and have no comments on it,” he said.
However, in another message sent by his friend, he said Soyinka had been released by the DSS, who held him in their Ikoyi office.
The friend told our correspondent that the DSS seized Soyinka’s passport.
“He has been released. They held onto his passport. He was released from their (DSS) Ikoyi office.”
