Many Nigerians have condemned the arrest of journalist Adejuwon Soyinka at the Muhammed Murtala International Airport in Lagos on Sunday morning upon his arrival from the United Kingdom. They have also expressed concern over the growing trend of harassment of journalists in the country.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that SSS agents arrested Mr Soyinka at the airport upon his arrival on a Virgin Atlantic flight.
In an avalanche of reactions following the news of X’s arrest posted on Twitter by PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, many Nigerians spontaneously took to the comments section to express their outrage over the arrest and detention.
The post had garnered 165 comments, more than 1,000 reposts and more than 140,000 views as of Sunday evening.
After being picked up at the airport, Mr Soyinka was driven to the SSS headquarters annex in Ikoyi, Lagos, and released after about six hours of detention.
SSS agents confiscated his passport in order to release him on bail.
The reason for Soyinka's arrest is still unknown, though the SSS said without giving details that its agents arrested him based on a request from another agency.
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Meanwhile, hours after his release, as reported by PREMIUM TIMES, many Nigerians continued to react angrily to the tweeted story about the journalist's arrest.
Many commentators painted a picture of how harassment of journalists and suppression of dissenting and critical voices have become the speciality of President Tinubu's government.
They said Soyinka's arrest is the latest in a series of attempts by the government to limit Nigeria's civic space and curtail the right to freedom of expression.
Nigerians react with anger
“In just one year and three months, journalists have been hunted down, but is there light at the end of the tunnel in Nigeria?” wrote X user @Obed Obaa.
Another user, @Amourab, said Soyinka’s arrest could be a harbinger of a bigger picture. “They are attacking journalists. I pray Nigerians wake up one day to see the bigger picture and fight for a functioning country,” the tweet read.
@MOOD OBIDIENT stressed the importance of press freedom and urged Nigerians to rise up against tyranny. “Press freedom is not just important for democracy, it is democracy. Nigeria currently has a ‘kleptocracy’ system of government. Citizens must rise up against tyranny.”
“Why does the government have problems with journalists? Are we returning to military rule?” questioned @Aremu Adeola, another X user.
Another user, @Giovanni, wrote: “The ability of a free and independent press to hold political leaders accountable is what makes open government possible; it is the heart of democracy. This recent attack on investigative journalists is quite worrying and should be condemned!”
Many others, such as @SirMcAwesome247, described the attacks on the Fourth Estate as “worrying”.
“Our journalists should not be harassed to the point where they cannot do their jobs,” the response said.
@Future said: “First it was PIDOM, now Adejuwon. Freedom of expression is gradually dying in Nigeria. I once knew a country.”
@OnileGogoro asked Elon Musk, owner of X, to help protect journalists. The user wrote: “Really dangerous times for investigative journalists in Nigeria @elonmusk please lend us your voice! Nigerian government is trying to silence free speech and journalists.”
Deterioration of the state of press freedom
Nigerian authorities recently said that some Nigerians who played key roles in the recent #EndBadGovernance protests had been placed on a watch list at the country's international airports.
It is unclear whether Soyinka's arrest is related to that controversial action, although the journalist is not publicly known to have been involved in organizing and carrying out the protest.
Several journalists covering the ten-day protest were attacked and brutalized by security agents, including SSS personnel.
In a shocking case in Abuja, police fired live ammunition at a car carrying some journalists on duty at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, where peaceful protesters had gathered.
Nigerian journalists and activists have continually denounced the deteriorating state of press freedom in Nigeria, especially in the past year under President Bola Tinubu.
According to the Press Attack Tracker, more than 100 attacks on journalists have been verified in Nigeria this year. Attacks on the press and journalists are predominantly the work of state actors, with the police accounting for almost 50 percent of all harassment suffered by journalists in the first half of the year.
The military and SSS are also prominent culprits, arbitrarily arresting and illegally detaining journalists.
Notable cases
On Wednesday, May 1, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Daniel Ojukwu, was abducted by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector General of Police over a story which revealed that the Senior Special Assistant to former President Muhammad Buhari on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs), Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, allegedly paid N147 million to a restaurant for the construction of classrooms in Lagos.
Also in May, another WikkiTimes journalist, Yawale Adamu, was reportedly threatened by a political aide to the House of Representatives member representing Jama'are Itas federal constituency in the National Assembly over an article he wrote accusing the lawmaker of politicizing the distribution of North East Development Commission (NEDC) aid.
Also in May, the Nigeria Police Force Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) detained the Executive Director of the International Centre for Investigative Journalism (ICIR), Dayo Aiyetan, and an investigative journalist with the platform, Nurudeen Akewushola, for over nine hours after honouring their invitation.
In June, PREMIUM TIMES journalist Emmanuel Agbo was also quoted for a yet-to-be-published report he was working on.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that at least 56 journalists were assaulted or harassed by security forces or unidentified citizens while covering the recent #EndBadGovernance anti-government protests.
Recently, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that Nigeria remains one of the most dangerous and difficult countries in West Africa for journalists.
According to RSF, which ranked Nigeria 123rd out of 180 countries in its 2023 World Press Freedom Report, Nigerian journalists are regularly monitored, attacked and arbitrarily detained, and “crimes committed against journalists continue to go unpunished, even when the perpetrators are known or arrested.”
READ ALSO: Why we arrested and detained Nigerian journalist Adejuwon Soyinka – SSS
In May, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Editors Guild called on Nigerian authorities to stop using repressive and anti-media laws, such as the Cybercrime Act and some National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) codes, to attack, intimidate and harass journalists and media outlets.
UNESCO also recently called on all authorities around the world to prioritise the duty and responsibility of ensuring the safety of journalists covering protests, in accordance with international standards and human rights obligations.
However, despite calls and criticism, security forces continued to attack and also refused to respond to calls on the need to stop attacking journalists in Nigeria.