On Friday, August 30, Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) returned the seized passport of Adejuwon Soyinka, a renowned investigative journalist, following his arrest that the agency now attributes to “possible mistaken identity.” The development comes after Soyinka, a two-time Emmy-nominated journalist and West Africa Regional Editor at The Conversation Africa, was detained for several hours upon his arrival at Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Sunday, August 25.
Soyinka was apprehended shortly after disembarking from a Virgin Atlantic flight from London, UK. He was subsequently held and interrogated for approximately eight hours at the SSS airport command and later at the agency’s office in Ikoyi, Lagos. Although he was eventually released on self-recognisance, his passport was confiscated by the SSS, leading to concerns over the violation of his fundamental rights.
Human rights activist and public interest lawyer Inibehe Effiong accompanied Soyinka to the SSS office in Ikoyi on Friday to retrieve the seized passport. Commenting on the situation, Effiong remarked that the agency’s attempt to justify the incident as a case of mistaken identity was not surprising. However, he did not confirm whether Soyinka would pursue legal action against the SSS for what he described as an unwarranted violation of his client’s rights due to professional incompetence and recklessness.
Initially, the SSS had claimed that Soyinka’s arrest was based on his name being placed on a watchlist at the request of an unnamed government agency. However, the agency later backtracked, citing a potential case of mistaken identity as the reason for the arrest, raising questions about the agency’s operational protocols and accountability.
Reacting to the latest developments, Musikilu Mojeed, President of the Nigerian chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria), expressed shock at the SSS’s actions. He criticized the agency for its treatment of Soyinka, a law-abiding citizen, and emphasized the need for greater respect for the rights of journalists and citizens in Nigeria.
“IPI Nigeria will consult with Mr Soyinka to decide how to respond to this unbelievable demonstration of incompetence by operatives of a key intelligence agency,” Mr Mojeed said.
