Adejuwon Soyinka, an investigative journalist and regional editor of The Conversation Africa, has been released.
Soyinka was taken into custody by Department of State Services agents on Sunday at Lagos’s Muritala Muhammed International Airport.
One of his acquaintances wrote a distress note to The PUNCH, saying that Soyinka was pulled up not long after landing from the UK.
The buddy added in the message that Soyinka had been held incommunicado and that there had been no explanation for his incarceration.
The statement said, “Adejuwon Soyinka has been detained at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos by Department of State Security officers.” On Sunday, August 25, 2024, at 5:40 a.m., the incident occurred, not long after he touched down in Nigeria after flying on Virgin Atlantic from the United Kingdom.
“As of the time of this report, the security service had not provided a justification for his incarceration. Due to ignored phone calls and mails, Soyinka has not been approachable.
When contacted, Peter Afunanya, a spokesman for the DSS, stated he was unaware of Soyinka’s detention.
He responded, “I have no comments on the matter you have raised and am not aware of it.”
But according to a different communication from his friend, Soyinka was freed by the DSS after being detained in their Ikoyi office.
The buddy informed our correspondent that Soyinka’s passport was confiscated by the DSS.
“He’s no longer in custody. They clung to his passport. He was let go from the DSS office in Ikoyi.