The Department of State Services has confirmed the detention of journalist Zainab Sodiq, saying she is being investigated for allegedly operating a drone without the required authorisation.

The confirmation came after African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, and the Take It Back Movement accused the secret police of unlawfully detaining the journalist and demanded her immediate release.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the DSS said Sodiq was intercepted by officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria Aviation Security and DSS operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on July 6 while travelling to Abuja with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

According to the agency, Sodiq was unable to produce an End User Certificate required under existing regulations governing the acquisition 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.

The DSS said Sodiq admitted she was not in possession of the required documents when questioned.

The agency, however, stated that she was allowed to board her scheduled flight to Abuja because she had a prior engagement and was directed to report to its headquarters on Wednesday for the continuation of investigations.

It explained that the investigation was being conducted in line with regulations issued by the Office of the National Security Adviser, which empower the service to impound and sanction individuals or organisations operating drones without authorisation.

“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 service added that it remained committed to professionalism and adherence to the rule of law.

However, Sowore rejected the DSS’s account, insisting that Sodiq was targeted because of her association with him and not because of the drone.

In a statement shared on Thursday, the activist alleged that the DJI Mavic Air drone cited by the DSS belonged to him and had been used for media coverage of elections and other public events.

“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,” he said.

Sowore further alleged that the seizure of the drone was only a pretext, claiming the real objective was to prevent Sodiq from delivering his international passport to Abuja to enable him to perfect the bail recently granted to him by a Federal High Court.

According to him, the journalist was carrying his passport because it was required to be deposited in court as part of the bail conditions imposed by Justice M.G. Umar.

“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 claimed that after the drone was seized, he instructed Sodiq to leave it with DSS operatives and proceed to Abuja because of the urgency of delivering his passport.

He alleged that Sodiq later honoured an invitation to the DSS office in Abuja regarding the seized drone but was taken into custody immediately upon arrival.

According to him, lawyers acting on his behalf contacted the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, who initially described the matter as a “routine screening” connected to the drone.

Sowore claimed the situation later changed after he publicised 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 had accused the DSS of using detention as a tool to silence critics.

Also reacting, the Take It Back Movement alleged that Sodiq was lured to Abuja under the pretext of retrieving her seized drone equipment before she was detained.

The movement claimed the journalist was carrying out her professional duties and should not be subjected to harassment because of her work.

“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.

It argued that journalism and political reporting should not be criminalised 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 movement called on the DSS to immediately release Sodiq or, if she had committed any offence, charge her before a competent court. (PUNCH)

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