Adejuwon Soyinka, the Regional Editor of The Conversation Africa, who was arrested by the Department of State Services, DSS, in the early hours of Sunday, has been released.
But the department is still withholding Soyinka’s passport.
A report by Channels Television said the journalist, a former Editor of BBC Pidgin confirmed his release.
Soyinka, an essential newsman and tested investigative journalist, was, according to reports, arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, at about 5a.m. as he arrived from the United Kingdom.
The DSS has yet to give an official reason why it detained the journalist, who was also a former line editor with the highly successful TELL magazine.
Channels Television reported on its website that the DSS Director of Information, Dr. Peter Afunanya, was yet to respond to its inquiry on the matter at the time of its report.
In a statement it issued on its official X Page (@AmnestyNigeria) before Soyinka’s release, early Sunday, the global human rights group, Amnesty International, had demanded the immediate release of the journalist.
Amnesty International wrote: “The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Juwon Soyinka, who was arrested by the Dept. of State Services (DSS) early today at Lagos airport. The manner of his arrest puts him at the risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
“The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Juwon Soyinka, who was arrested by the Dept. of State Services (DSS) early today at Lagos airport. The manner of his arrest puts him at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.”
