The Department of State Services has confirmed the detention of journalist Zainab Sodiq, saying she is being investigated for allegedly operating an unmanned aerial vehicle without the required statutory authorisation.
The confirmation came after the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, 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 a drone.
According to the agency, Sodiq was unable to produce an End User Certificate required under existing federal regulations governing the acquisition and operation of drones in Nigeria.
The statement read, “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 to Abuja from MMIA without an End User Certificate.”
The DSS stated that Sodiq admitted she was not in possession of the required documents when questioned, but was allowed to board her scheduled flight to Abuja due to a prior engagement, with directives to report to its headquarters on Wednesday.
The agency 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 equipment and sanction individuals or organisations operating drones without authorisation.
However, Sowore rejected the DSS’s account, insisting that Sodiq was targeted because of her professional 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 the media coverage of elections and other public events.
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 claimed that after the drone was seized, he instructed Sodiq to leave it with DSS operatives and proceed to Abuja.
He alleged that the journalist later honoured an invitation to the DSS office in Abuja regarding the equipment, but was taken into custody immediately upon arrival.
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 argued that journalism and political reporting should not be criminalised in a democratic society, calling on the security agency to immediately release Sodiq or charge her before a competent court.
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