Nigerian political activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore was on Sunday briefly detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) upon his arrival at Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos.
Sowore, who had just returned from the United States, disclosed via his official X handle that his passport was seized by the Nigerian Immigration Service, which informed him of orders to detain him.
Sowore's flight departed from Washington Dulles International Airport at 6:14 EDT and landed in Lagos around 9:43 AM. The arrest came shortly after a leaked DSS memo dated September 12, 2024, revealed plans to detain him upon arrival.
This incident is part of what Sowore described as a "broader clampdown by the fascist @officialAbat regime on dissent" and their fear of the upcoming "#FearlessINOctober revolt."
Despite the initial detention, Sowore was released within minutes, and his passport was returned. He confirmed this development in another post on X, stating, "I have just been released by the Nigerian Immigration after a brief detention and my passport released back to me."
This event is not an isolated incident in Sowore's tumultuous relationship with Nigerian authorities. In August 2019, he was arrested by the DSS for calling for nationwide protests under the #RevolutionNow movement. He faced charges including treason, money laundering, and cyberstalking, which many believe were politically motivated to suppress his activism. Despite being set free on December 5, 2019, he was re-arrested by DSS operatives and finally released on December 24, 2019.
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