Nigerians condemn journalist Soyinka’s arrest by SSS, worry over attacks on press freedom

Many Nigerians have condemned the early Sunday arrest of a journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, at the Muhammed Murtala International Airport, Lagos, on his arrival from the United Kingdom. They also expressed worry over the growing trend of harassment of journalists in the country.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that SSS operatives arrested Mr Soyinka at the airport on his arrival via a Virgin Atlantic flight.

In a flood of reactions following PREMIUM TIMES’ tweeted story of the arrest on X on Sunday, many Nigerians spontaneously took to the comment section to express their outrage about the arrest and detention.

The post had garnered 165 comments, over 1,000 reposts, and more than 140,000 views as of Sunday evening.

After being picked up at the airport, Mr Soyinka was driven to the SSS headquarters annexe in Ikoyi, Lagos, and released after about six hours of detention.

SSS operatives seized his passport to release him on bail.

The reason for Mr Soyinka’s arrest is still unknown, although SSS said without giving details that its operatives arrested him based on a request from another agency.

Meanwhile, hours after his release, reported by PREMIUM TIMES, many Nigerians continued to react in anger to the tweeted story of the detention of the journalist.

Many of the commentators painted a picture of how it has become President Tinubu’s government’s stock-in-trade to harass journalists and suppress dissenting and critical voices.

They said Mr Soyinka’s arrest is the latest in a series of government attempts to limit Nigeria’s civic space and curtail the right to freedom of expression.

Nigerians react in anger

“Hunt for Journalists up and down in just 1 year and 3 months. Is there still light at the end of the Nigeria tunnel?” an X user, @Obed Obaa, wrote.

Another user, @Amourab, said Mr Soyinka’s arrest might be foretelling a broader picture. “They’re going for the journalists. I pray Nigerians wake up one day to see the bigger picture and fight for a country that works,” the tweet read.

@MOOD OBIDIENT stressed the importance of freedom of the press and urged Nigerians to rise against tyranny. “Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy. Nigeria currently runs a ‘Kleptocracy’ system of Government. The citizens must rise against tyranny.”

“Why is the government having issues with journalists, are we back to the military regime?” @Aremu Adeola, another X user, questioned.

Another user, @Giovanni, wrote: “The ability of a free and independent press to hold political leaders accountable is what makes open government possible—it is the heartbeat of democracy. This recent attack on investigative journalists is quite worrisome and should be condemned!”

Many others, like @SirMcAwesome247, described the attacks on the Fourth Estate of the Realm as “worrisome”.

“Our journalists should not be harassed into a position where they’re unable to do their jobs,” the reply post read.

@Future stated: “First it was PIDOM now Adejuwon. Freedom of Speech is gradually dying in Nigeria. I once knew a Country.”

@OnileGogoro cried out to Elon Musk, who owns X, to help protect journalists. The user wrote, “Really dangerous times for Investigative Journalists in Nigeria @elonmusk, please lend us your voice! The Nigerian Government is trying to silence free speech and journalists.”

Deteriorating state of press freedom

Nigerian authorities recently said that some Nigerians who played key roles in the recent #EndBadGovernance protests had been placed on watchlist at the nation’s international airports.

It is unclear if Mr Soyinka’s arrest is related to that controversial action, although the journalist is not publicly known to have participated in organising and executing the protest.

Several journalists covering the ten-day protest were attacked and brutalised by security agents, including personnel of the SSS.

In one shocking case in Abuja, operatives shot live ammunition at a car carrying some journalists who were on duty at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, where peaceful protesters gathered.

Nigerian journalists and activists have continuously decried the deteriorating state of press freedom in Nigeria, especially in the last one year under President Bola Tinubu.

More than 100 attacks on journalists have been verified in Nigeria this year, according to the Press Attack Tracker. The attacks on the press and journalists are primarily by state actors, with the police accounting for almost 50 per cent of all harassment faced by journalists in the first half of the year.

The military and the SSS are also prominent culprits, arbitrarily arresting and detaining journalists unlawfully.

Notable cases

On Wednesday, 1 May, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Daniel Ojukwu, was abducted by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector General of Police for a story which revealed that the senior special assistant to former President Muhammad Buhari on sustainable development goals (SSAP-SDGs), Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, allegedly paid N147 million to a restaurant for the construction of classrooms in Lagos.

Also, in May, another journalist with WikkiTimes, Yawale Adamu, was reportedly being threatened by a political aide to the member of the House of Representatives representing the Jama’are Itas Federal Constituency in the National Assembly over a story he did accusing the lawmaker of politicising distribution of aid from the North East Development Commission (NEDC).

Also in May, the Nigerian Police Force Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) detained the Executive Director of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Dayo Aiyetan, and an investigative journalist with the platform, Nurudeen Akewushola, for over nine hours after honouring their invitation.

In June, PREMIUM TIMES reporter Emmanuel Agbo was also summoned over a yet-to-be-published report he was working on.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that at least 56 journalists were assaulted or harassed by security forces or unidentified citizens while covering the recent anti-government #EndBadGovernance demonstrations.

Recently, the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that Nigeria remained one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists.

According to RSF, which ranked Nigeria 123 of 180 countries in its global press freedom report for 2023, Nigerian journalists are regularly monitored, attacked and arbitrarily arrested, and “crimes committed against journalists continue to go unpunished, even when the perpetrators are known or apprehended.”

READ ALSO: Why we arrested, detained Nigerian journalist Adejuwon Soyinka – SSS

In May, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors called on the Nigerian authorities to stop using repressive and anti-media laws such as the Cybercrime Act and some codes of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to target, intimidate, and harass journalists and media houses.

UNESCO also recently called on all authorities worldwide to prioritise the duty and responsibility to ensure the safety of journalists covering protests, in accordance with international norms and human rights obligations.

However, despite calls and criticism, the Security continued to attack and also refused to respond to calls on the need to stop attacking journalists in Nigeria.