DSS Confirms Detention of Journalist Over Drone Permit as Sowore Demands Release
The Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed the detention of journalist Zainab Sodiq, saying she is being investigated for allegedly operating a drone without the required authorisation.
According to the DSS, Sodiq was intercepted on July 6 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, by officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security and DSS operatives while travelling to Abuja with an unmanned aerial vehicle.
The agency said she could not produce the End User Certificate required under regulations governing the acquisition and operation of drones in Nigeria.
The DSS stated that although Sodiq was allowed to continue her journey to Abuja because of a prior engagement, she was directed to report to its headquarters for further investigation, where she was subsequently detained.
The service explained that the investigation is being conducted in line with regulations issued by the Office of the National Security Adviser, which empower it to sanction individuals or organisations operating drones without proper authorisation.
It maintained that the action was necessary because of growing security concerns surrounding the use of drones, including threats to public safety and privacy, while reaffirming its commitment to professionalism and the rule of law.
However, former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore rejected the DSS account, insisting that the drone belongs to him and that Sodiq was carrying out her duties as a journalist covering his activities.
Sowore alleged that the journalist was targeted because she was conveying his international passport to Abuja to enable him to fulfil the bail conditions recently granted by a Federal High Court.
He further claimed that Sodiq honoured an invitation by the DSS over the seized drone but was detained upon arrival in Abuja.
Also reacting, the Take It Back Movement condemned the detention, alleging that Sodiq was lured to Abuja under the pretext of retrieving her drone equipment before being taken into custody.
The group described the action as an attack on press freedom and called for her immediate release or, alternatively, that she be charged before a competent court if any offence had been committed.
The development has renewed concerns among media and civil society groups over press freedom, the use of security agencies, and the regulation of drone operations in Nigeria.
