The Department of State Services (DSS) has released Adejuwon Soyinka, an investigative journalist and the Pioneer Editor of the BBC Pidgin Service, following his detention at Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos on Sunday.
Soyinka, currently the West African Regional Editor for The Conversation Africa, was arrested upon his arrival from the United Kingdom on a Virgin Atlantic flight at approximately 5:40 am.
After being questioned for several hours, Soyinka was released, but his passport was confiscated. The DSS has yet to disclose the reason for his detention. A concerned friend reported Soyinka’s arrest after attempts to contact him via phone went unanswered.
In response to inquiries, DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya claimed to have no knowledge of the incident, stating, “I am not aware of the matter you have raised.” The motives for Soyinka’s brief detention and the status of his passport remain unclear.
