A memo from the Department of State Services (DSS) authorizing the arrest of Omoyele Sowore upon his return to Nigeria has been leaked.
The memo, authorized by DSS official Adeola D. Ali and following the orders of the newly appointed Director General of the DSS, Adeola Ajayi, references Sowore’s participation in the recent 10-day #EndBadGovernance protests.
Security agencies responded with backlash to the protests that demanded extensive reforms and an end to poor governance.
Sowore, the founder of the news website Sahara Reporters, ran for the presidential position in the general elections of 2019 and 2023.
The recently disclosed memo verifies the directive and provides additional details about the extent of surveillance conducted by the Nigerian secret police.
The memo, labeled “DSE: 94/6203 X WATCHLIST ACTION,” details the strategy for detaining Sowore and provides directives for airport security.
The directive indicates that the DGSS has sanctioned the escalation of WLA ‘B’ (immediate telephone reporting of arrival and destination) to WLA ‘F’ (detain the traveler and escort with baggage to NHSS) concerning Omoyele Sowore, the activist and founder of Sahara Reporters Inc., an online news outlet.
The DSS memo plainly demands Sowore’s immediate arrest and the seizure of his luggage when he arrives in Nigeria.
The directive comes at a time when tensions are escalating between activists and the government, amid increasing demands for improved governance and an end to police brutality.
The DSS’s recent action is a continuation of their clampdown on activists, journalists, and opposition figures in Nigeria.
In recent months, the Nigerian government has been criticized for its stringent measures against dissent, as several prominent activists, such as Sowore, have been targeted by state repression.
Sowore, having been arrested and detained in the past by the DSS for his role in the #RevolutionNow movement, persistently uses his platform, SaharaReporters, to uncover corruption and hold Nigerian leaders accountable.
