Nigeria Immigration frees me after brief detention – Sowore

Human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore has raised the alarms of his arrest and brief detention by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) on his arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Sunday.

Mr Sowore, who arrived in Nigeria after monthslong visit to the United States of America, where his family is based, announced his arrest and subsequent release by immigration officers in two separate posts on X within an hour.

According to him, the Nigerian Immigration Service operatives said they detained him based on orders.“DETAINED BY THE @NigerianImmigration, my International passport confiscated.“I had just arrived in Nigeria from the USA to the MMIA in Lagos; upon reaching Nigerian Immigration, my passport was seized, and they told me they had orders to detain me,” he wrote.Less than an hour later, Mr Sowore posted on X that he had been released.“

I have just been released by the Nigerian Immigration after a brief detention and my passport released back to me. #RevolutionNow,” Mr Sowore wrote.However, when contacted on Sunday by PREMIUM TIMES, NIS spokesperson, Kenneth Udo, said Mr Sowore was not arrested apart from going through the routine immigration clearance.

This newspaper learnt that his flight left Washington Dulles International Airport at 6.14 EDT and arrived in Lagos at around 9.43 a.m. Nigerian time on Sunday.Mr Sowore, a two-time presidential candidate, arrived in Nigeria about three days after his Sahara Reporters raised the alarm in a report that the State Security Service (SSS) was plotting to arrest him.The Sahara Reporters report, citing a leaked memo of the SSS, said the security agency was plotting to arrest him over his role in the #EndBadGoverbance protest in August.

Since the 10-day protest which started on 1 August, the Nigerian government has clamped down on the organisers of the protest and many others linked to it.Over 1,000 persons, including minors, passersby and those who shared posts relating to the protest on social media platforms, were arrested in connection with the protest last month, with the government accusing them of serious crimes including treason and terrorism.Ten of them arrested in Abuja, Kaduna and other places are facing charges of collaborating with a British socialist, Andrew Wynne, to topple the government of President Bola Tinubu and levy a war against Nigeria.“

This is not unexpected because I have always known that It is part of the broader clampdown by the fascist @officialAbat regime on dissent and their fear of the upcoming #FearlessINOctober revolt,” Mr Sowore earlier wrote in his first post announcing his arrest on X.“In case this becomes another prolonged and protracted detention, I urge our citizens to ensure they ALL stop tyranny by all means acceptable and necessary, by engaging in the planned series of direct actions slated for October 1st and beyond.

Mr Sowore is not new to arrest and detention by the Nigerian police and SSS over protests and other forms of activism.