Sowore counters DSS, alleges journalist Zainab Sodiq’s detention tied to his bail, not drone
The Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed the detention of a journalist, Zainab Sodiq, at its National Headquarters in Abuja, following what the agency described as her unauthorized possession of a drone while transiting through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
According to a statement issued Wednesday by the Deputy Director, Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Favour Dozie, Sodiq was stopped on July 6, 2026, by operatives of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria’s Aviation Security (FAAN AVSEC) and the DSS while attempting to board a flight to Abuja with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), which the agency said lacked an End User Certificate (EUC).
The DSS said the stop was carried out under National Security Adviser (NSA) regulations restricting drone acquisition and use nationwide. Sodiq reportedly told operatives she was not carrying the required documentation for the equipment at the time.
Despite the encounter, the DSS allowed Sodiq to continue her journey to Abuja as scheduled, citing a prior engagement, but asked her to report back to the Service two days later, on July 8, for further questioning — an instruction she was said to have complied with.
The Service maintained that its powers to impound drones and question individuals over unauthorized RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) use stem from security concerns tied to privacy and public safety. It said investigations into the matter continue, and reaffirmed its commitment to professionalism and the rule of law.
But Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and African Action Congress presidential candidate, rejected the DSS’s account, insisting Sodiq was targeted because of her closeness to him rather than any drone infraction.
He claimed the DJI Mavic Air drone cited by the DSS actually belonged to him and had been used for media coverage of elections and other public events. He said he had personally spoken with DSS personnel in Lagos when the drone was seized, explaining that Sodiq was a journalist covering his activities and that it was a commercial media drone.
Sowore alleged the drone seizure was merely a pretext, and that the real objective was to prevent Sodiq from delivering his international passport to Abuja, where it was needed to fulfil bail conditions imposed by Justice M.G. Umar of the Federal High Court, and that the move was meant to frustrate the perfection of his bail and create an excuse to send him back to Kuje Prison.
He said he had directed Sodiq to leave the drone with DSS officials and proceed with the passport given the urgency of the court process, and that she was later detained immediately upon honouring an invitation to the DSS office in Abuja over the seized equipment.
He further claimed that lawyers acting for him had contacted DSS Director-General Tosin Ajayi, who initially described the matter as a “routine screening” linked to the drone, but that the agency’s posture hardened once news of the detention spread on social media.
