Immigration, not DSS, releases Sowore after arrest at Lagos airport

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has released the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Omoyele Sowore, after his arrest at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in the Ikeja area of Lagos State.

Sowore was arrested at the Lagos airport in the early hours of Sunday, September 15, 2024, upon his arrival from the United States.

He was initially reported to have been arrested by men of the DSS.

Announcing his arrest via a post on his X account, the Publisher of Sahara Reporters stated: “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.

“This is not unexpected because I have always known that it is part of the broader clampdown by the fascist President Bola Tinubu regime on dissent and their fear of the upcoming #FearlessINOctober revolt.

“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.”

The Department of State Services (DSS) had, on Thursday, September 12, issued a memo ordering the arrest of Sowore upon his arrival in Nigeria.

The AAC presidential candidate, in another post on X, announced that he had been released by the NIS, adding that his international passport had been released to him after it was seized.

“I have just been released by the Nigerian Immigration after a brief detention and my passport released back to me,” Sowore said.