Adejuwon Soyinka, the Regional Editor for West Africa at The Conversation Africa and founding Editor of the BBC Pidgin Service, was reportedly detained by officers of the Department of State Security (DSS) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The arrest occurred early Sunday morning, August 25, 2024, shortly after Soyinka arrived in Nigeria on a Virgin Atlantic flight from the United Kingdom.
Soyinka, who landed at approximately 5:40 a.m., was apprehended by DSS operatives as he made his way through the airport. Since his detention, attempts to reach Soyinka have been unsuccessful, with calls and messages to his phone going unanswered.
A close associate of Soyinka, who chose to remain anonymous, informed journalists of the situation, stating, “Adejuwon Soyinka was detained by DSS officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The incident took place around 5:40 a.m. on Sunday, shortly after his arrival from the UK. No explanation has been given by the security agency for his detention, and all efforts to contact him have failed.”
As of now, the DSS has not provided any official reason for Soyinka’s arrest, leaving many in the media and human rights communities concerned and seeking answers. The situation is still developing, and further details are awaited to clarify the circumstances surrounding his detention.
