Zainab Sodiq, the journalist whose detention by the State Security Service (SSS), also known as DSS, sparked criticism from rights groups and press freedom advocates, has regained her freedom after days in the agency’s custody.
Activist and presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore announced her release on Friday, attributing it to sustained pressure from Nigerians, civil society groups and lawyers who demanded her freedom.
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“We have good news! Ms Zainab Sadiq is finally free from the grip of repression,” Mr Sowore wrote in a Facebook post, thanking human rights lawyer Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the President of International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria, Musikilu Mojeed, human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju, Amnesty International Nigeria, members of the Take It Back Movement, journalists and other Nigerians for their intervention.
Ms Sodiq’s release comes a day after the SSS publicly defended her detention, saying she was being investigated for allegedly transporting a drone without the required End User Certificate (EUC), a security clearance required under regulations administered by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) for certain categories of drones.
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According to the service, Ms Sodiq was intercepted by officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and SSS operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on 6 July while travelling to Abuja with an unmanned aerial vehicle.
The SSS said she admitted she did not possess the required documentation and was subsequently directed to report for further investigation.
Mr Sowore, however, rejected the agency’s account, insisting the drone belonged to him and alleging that Ms Sodiq was targeted because she works with him as a journalist covering his activities.
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He claimed she was travelling to Abuja with his passport, which he needed to deposit in court to fulfil bail conditions in his ongoing cybercrime and criminal defamation trial.
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Mr Sowore alleged that the interception and subsequent detention were intended to frustrate the perfection of his bail, an allegation the SSS has not addressed publicly.
Mr Sowore is standing trial on charges of cyberbullying President Bola Tinubu for calling him a criminal in last year’s social media posts. He denies any wrongdoing.
After his earlier bail was revoked for failing to appear in court, he was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre before being granted fresh bail on 30 June under stricter conditions, including the deposit of his international passport.
The SSS has not publicly commented on Ms Sodiq’s release or whether its investigation into the alleged drone permit violation has been concluded.
SSS spokesperson, Favour Dozie, had yet to respond to our correspondent’s response for her comments, as of the time of filing this report.
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