TAKE IT BACK MOVEMENT CONDEMNS THE ILLEGAL ARREST AND DETENTION OF JOURNALIST ZAINAB SODIQ BY THE DSS, DEMANDS HER IMMEDIATE AND UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE

PRESS STATEMENT

TAKE IT BACK MOVEMENT CONDEMNS THE ILLEGAL ARREST AND DETENTION OF JOURNALIST ZAINAB SODIQ BY THE DSS, DEMANDS HER IMMEDIATE AND UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE

The Take It Back Movement strongly condemns the unlawful arrest and detention of journalist Zainab Sodiq by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja.

According to available information, Zainab Sodiq was arrested solely for carrying out her professional responsibility as a journalist covering the public activities of activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore. This represents yet another dangerous assault on press freedom, democracy and human rights by the government of Tinubu.

The arrest of journalists for simply documenting events is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes. It has no place in a democratic society. Journalism is not a crime. Reporting the activities of public figures is not an offence. The Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of the press, and no security agency has the authority to criminalise legitimate journalistic work.

This latest act further exposes the growing culture of impunity within the DSS, where arbitrary arrests, unlawful detentions, intimidation, and harassment of journalists, activists, and dissenting voices have become increasingly common. Whereas it has been unable to arrest growing terrorism in the country, it has rather prioritized those going about their legitimate duties, and holding the Bola Tinubu government to account.

The continued persecution of journalists sends a chilling message to every media practitioner in Nigeria and undermines the very foundations of accountability, transparency, and democracy. An attack on one journalist is an attack on the public’s right to know.

The Take It Back Movement demands the immediate and unconditional release of Zainab Sodiq. We also demand that the DSS publicly disclose the legal basis for her arrest and desist from using state power to intimidate journalists and citizens exercising their lawful rights.

We call on media organisations, civil society groups, democratic forces, and all defenders of human rights to resist this dangerous descent into repression. Silence in the face of tyranny only emboldens those determined to dismantle our freedoms.

We reiterate our commitment to deploy all lawful means within our disposal to resist every attempt to criminalise journalism, suppress dissent, and erode the democratic rights of the Nigerian people. Enough of the intimidation. Enough of the lawlessness.

Signed:
Juwon Sanyaolu
National Coordinator
Take It Back Movement