Abuja, July 10, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Nigerian authorities to stop harassing journalists, following the detention of journalist Zainab Sodiq on July 8, stringent bail conditions placed on Secret Reporters’ Stanley Ugagbe following his forcible disappearance on July 1, and an espionage summons issued to his publisher Fejiro Oliver on July 6.
“Is it outrageous that journalist Zainab Sodiq has been jailed by intelligence agents and has seemingly been denied due process. It is also utterly punitive for Stanley Ugagbe to spend hours, every other day, needlessly reporting to the police,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal. “Nigeria’s security services must focus their time and resources on the real criminals and not journalists who are keeping the public informed.”
On July 8, the State Security Service, also known as the Department of State Services or DSS,
detained
Sodiq
, a videographer and journalist who also covers the political activities of
Omoyele Sowore
, founder of the Sahara Reporters outlet and a
presidential candidate
in Nigeria’s upcoming elections.
The intelligence agency said in a July 9
press release
, also
posted
on X, that Sodiq was “intercepted” July 6 as she sought to board a flight from Lagos to Abuja, the capital, with a drone, without possessing the required
End User Certificate
. The DSS permitted her to board and ordered her to report to their offices on July 8, which she did. She was
detained
on arrival at the DSS office.
Sowore said he
told the DSS
that he owned the drone and he believed Sodiq was detained in connection to her coverage of his events and his ongoing
trial
for cybercrime and defamation charges and her secret June 22
recording
of DSS officials’ physical harassment of Sowore inside a federal high court in Abuja.
Section 35(4) of Nigeria’s
constitution
states that anyone arrested should generally be brought before a court of law within 48 hours.
Separately on July 6, U
… [more]
