Nigerian Journalist Adejuwon Soyinka Detained by State Security Service

Adejuwon Soyinka, the West African Regional Editor of the Conversation Africa, has been detained by the State Security Service (SSS) in Nigeria.

Mr. Soyinka, a former pioneer editor of the BBC Pidgin Service, was taken into custody on Sunday, August 25, 2024, at approximately 5:40 a.m. He was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos after arriving from the United Kingdom on a Virgin Atlantic flight.

As of the time of this report, the SSS has not provided any reasons for Mr. Soyinka’s detention. Friends of the journalist have reported that they were unable to reach him via phone as attempts to contact him went unanswered.

Later reports indicated that Mr. Soyinka was released after a six-hour detention, following intervention from the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria. However, his passport was confiscated, and he was required to provide his Nigerian address and a reliable phone number for future contact.

In a confirmation message to Premium Times, Soyinka stated, “I have just been released by the DSS in Lagos. They are holding on to my passport, though. I am in an Uber ride ordered for me by the Deputy Director of DSS in Lagos.”

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