Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and convener of the #RevolutionNow protest, disclosed on Sunday that he was briefly detained at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos upon his return from the United States.
In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Sowore stated that Nigerian Immigration Service officials seized his passport and informed him that they were acting under orders to detain him. While details surrounding the detention remain unclear, Sowore’s brief detention adds to his history of confrontations with the Nigerian authorities following his activism and role in organizing protests against the government.
“I had just arrived in Nigeria from the USA to the MMIA in Lagos; upon reaching Nigerian Immigration, my passport was seized, and they told me they had orders to detain me,” he said.
“This is not un expected because i have always known that It is part of the broader clampdown by the fascist @officialAbat regime on dissent and their fear of the upcoming #FearlessINOctober revolt.
“In case this becomes another prolonged and protracted detention, I urge our citizens to ensure they ALL stop tyranny by all means acceptable and necessary, by engaging in the planned series of direct actions slated for October 1st and beyond.
“I have just been released by the Nigerian Immigration after a brief detention and my passport released back to me.”
DETAINED BY THE @NigerianImmigration, my International passport confiscated.
I had just arrived in Nigeria from the USA to the MMIA in Lagos; upon reaching Nigerian Immigration, my passport was seized, and they told me they had orders to detain me.
This is not un expected… pic.twitter.com/viwoPI1DX7
— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) September 15, 2024
It is, however, unclear who ordered his detention but reports have it that Sowore was arrested by officials of the Department of State Services (DSS).
