The Department of State Services has confirmed that journalist Zainab Sodiq is in their custody. They say she is being investigated for allegedly flying a drone without proper permission.
This news came after Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate for the African Action Congress, and the Take It Back Movement accused the DSS of unlawfully holding the journalist. They are calling for her immediate release.
The DSS released a statement on Thursday, explaining that Sodiq was stopped by officials from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and DSS agents at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. This happened on July 6 when she was on her way to Abuja with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
The agency said Sodiq could not show an End User Certificate, which is needed under Nigerian laws for operating drones. "The Department of State Services confirms detention of one Zainab Sodiq at its National Headquarters, Abuja. Subject was intercepted by FAAN AVSEC and operatives of DSS at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on July 6, 2026, with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle en route Abuja from MMIA without an End User Certificate," the statement said.
The DSS mentioned that Sodiq admitted she did not have the required documents when they asked her. However, they said she was allowed to board her flight to Abuja due to a prior engagement. She was told to report to their headquarters on Wednesday for further questioning.
The agency explained that this investigation follows rules from the Office of the National Security Adviser. These rules allow them to seize and punish anyone using drones without permission. "Service investigation has commenced. This action is necessitated by global and domestic security concerns associated with operation of drones, especially issues of privacy breaches and safety of individuals," the DSS said.
The DSS added that they are committed to following the law and acting professionally. But Sowore disagrees with their explanation. He claims Sodiq was targeted because of her connection to him, not because of the drone.
In a statement on Thursday, he said the drone in question, a DJI Mavic Air, actually belongs to him. He said he used it for media coverage of elections and other public events. "The DJI Mavic Air drone in question belongs personally to me. When DSS personnel at the Murtala Muhammed Airport domestic terminal seized it from Zainab on Monday on her way to Abuja, I personally spoke with their personnel in Lagos," he said.
Sowore claims the seizure of the drone is just an excuse. He believes the real aim was to stop Sodiq from delivering his international passport to Abuja. This passport is needed to complete the bail granted to him by a Federal High Court. "The real objective was to prevent Zainab from reaching Abuja with my international passport, frustrate the perfection of my bail, and create an excuse to send me back to the overcrowded Kuje Prison," he said.
He also said he told Sodiq to leave the drone with the DSS and go to Abuja to deliver his passport. After she went to the DSS office in Abuja about the seized drone, they took her into custody right away.
According to Sowore, his lawyers contacted the DSS Director-General, Tosin Ajayi. At first, Ajayi said the issue was just a routine screening related to the drone. But Sowore claims things changed after he posted about Sodiq's detention on social media.
"We were later told that the DSS leadership was angry because I had publicly exposed Zainab’s unlawful detention via social media posts. Instead of addressing the legality of holding a Nigerian citizen, the concern of Tosin Ajayi became that I had posted about it on social media," he said.
Earlier, Sowore accused the DSS of using detention to silence critics. The Take It Back Movement also reacted, saying Sodiq was tricked into coming to Abuja under the pretense of getting her drone back before she was detained.
They said Sodiq was just doing her job and should not face harassment for it. "This is not merely about Zainab Sodiq. This is about Omoyele Sowore. This is about the increasing desperation of the Tinubu government and its security machinery to intimidate everyone connected to Sowore, everyone who reports on Sowore, everyone who supports Sowore, and every Nigerian who dares to speak truth to power," the group said.
They insisted that journalism and political reporting should not be treated as crimes in a democracy. "A journalist carrying out her lawful duty is not a criminal. Covering the activities of an opposition figure is not a crime. Possessing media equipment is not a crime. Asking questions is not a crime. Reporting the truth is not a crime.
The real crime is the use of state security agencies to suppress citizens, silence journalists, intimidate activists, and protect those in power from public accountability," they added.
The movement urged the DSS to release Sodiq immediately or charge her in court if she has committed any offense.
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