Omoyele Sowore, a prominent Nigerian activist, has been release following a brief detention at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos.
Sowore, who arrived in Nigeria after monthslong visit to the United States of America, where his family is based, announced his arrest and subsequent release by immigration officers in two separate posts on X within an hour.
According to him, the Nigerian Immigration Service operatives said they detained him based on orders.
Taking to his X page, his first post reads, “DETAINED BY THE @NigerianImmigration, my International passport confiscated.
“I had just arrived in Nigeria from the USA to the MMIA in Lagos; upon reaching Nigerian Immigration, my passport was seized, and they told me they had orders to detain me.”
Less than an hour later, the activist posted that he had been released.
“I have just been released by the Nigerian Immigration after a brief detention and my passport released back to me. #RevolutionNow,” he wrote.
However, while all this was going on within the immigration office, Sowore’s supporters had gathered and surrounded the airport protesting after the news of the arrest broke out.
The arrest, allegedly orchestrated by the Department of State Services (DSS), is believed to be linked to Sowore’s involvement in the planned #EndBadGovernance protests.
The incident comes days after a leaked memo from the State Security Service (SSS) exposed a plot to detain Sowore due to his role in organizing protests against the current administration.
This latest incident is not an isolated occurrence, as Sowore has a history of being targeted by Nigerian authorities for his outspoken criticism of bad governance and corruption. The recurring pattern of political suppression raises serious concerns about the state of democracy and freedom of expression in Nigeria.
Leave a Reply