Sowore Demand Release Of Journalist Arrested By DSS ‘For Possessing Drone’

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrestey of a journalist Zainab Sodiq after she was found with a drone without the documents required by law.

In a statement released on Thursday, the DSS said Sodiq was stopped on July 6 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in 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.

According to the DSS, she could not provide an End User Certificate, which is one of the documents required for the purchase and operation of drones in Nigeria.

“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 read.

“It is to be noted that, in compliance with National Security Adviser (NSA), Extant Regulations, which placed restrictions on acquisition and use of drones, Sodiq was intercepted while trying to board a flight to Abuja.

“When confronted, she admitted to not being in possession of the required documents.

“Following due process, Sodiq was allowed to board her scheduled flight in view of a prior engagement in Abuja. 

“She was, however, directed to report on Wednesday, 8 July, for the continuation of the investigation.”

The DSS said its actions were based on regulations issued by the Office of the National Security Adviser, which give it the authority to seize drones and take action against people or organisations operating them without approval.

“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 stated.

The agency also maintained that the investigation is being carried out professionally and in line with the law.

However, Omoyele Sowore rejected the DSS explanation, insisting that Sodiq was targeted because she reports on his activities and not because of the drone.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Sowore said the DJI Mavic Air drone belongs to him and has been used to cover elections and other public events.

He said, “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.

“I explained that the drone was mine, that Zainab was a journalist covering my activities, and that it was a commercial media drone I had used to cover elections and other public events.

Omoyele Sowore argued that the seizure of the drone was only an excuse.

He claimed the real aim was to stop Sodiq from delivering his international passport to Abuja, where it was needed to complete the bail conditions recently granted to him by a Federal High Court.

He said the passport had to be submitted as part of the bail terms set by Justice M.G. Umar, stressing that preventing its delivery could led to his return to Kuje Prison.

“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 alleged.

Sowore also said that after the drone was seized, he advised Sodiq to leave it with the DSS officers and continue her journey because delivering the passport was more urgent.

According to him, Sodiq later honoured an invitation to the DSS office in Abuja over the drone but was detained immediately after arriving.

He further claimed that lawyers representing him contacted the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, who initially described the matter as a routine investigation relating to the drone.

Sowore alleged that the situation changed after he announced 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 alleged.

Earlier, Sowore accused the security agency of using detention to intimidate government critics.

“DSS has just arrested Zainab Sodiq, the journalist who covers my daily activities, and detained her at its headquarters in Abuja,” he added.

“Her only ‘crime’ is doing her job as a journalist. The @officialABAT regime is running scared. They are very desperate but it will not end well for DSS DG, Tosin Ajayi at all.”

The Take It Back Movement also criticised the DSS, claiming Sodiq was invited to Abuja under the impression that she would retrieve her seized drone but was instead taken into custody.

The group argued that Sodiq was simply carrying out her work as a journalist and should not face harassment because she reports on an opposition figure.

“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.

The movement maintained that journalism, political reporting, and the use of media equipment are lawful activities that should not be treated as crimes in a democratic society.

“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,” the statement added.

The group called on the DSS to either release Sodiq immediately or formally charge her before a competent court if it believes she committed an offence.

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