The Department of State Services has confirmed that journalist Zainab Sodiq is in its custody, saying she is being investigated for allegedly operating a drone without the necessary authorisation.
The Punch reported that the confirmation followed allegations by African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore and the Take It Back Movement that the journalist was being unlawfully detained by the secret police, with both demanding her immediate release.
According to a statement issued by the DSS on Thursday, Sodiq was intercepted on July 6 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, by officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security and DSS operatives while travelling to Abuja with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
The agency said she could not present the mandatory End User Certificate required under Nigerian regulations governing the purchase and operation of drones.
“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 acknowledged during questioning that she did not possess the required documentation.
It added, however, that she was allowed to continue her trip to Abuja because she had a prior engagement and was instructed to report to the agency’s headquarters on Wednesday for the continuation of investigations.
The service explained that the probe was being conducted in line with directives issued by the Office of the National Security Adviser, which empower it to seize drones and sanction individuals or organisations found operating them without proper 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 agency maintained that its actions were guided by professionalism and respect for the rule of law.
Sowore, however, disputed the DSS account, insisting the journalist was being targeted because of her association with him rather than the drone.
In a statement released on Thursday, the activist said the DJI Mavic Air drone cited by the DSS belongs to him and has 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 merely a pretext, claiming the actual objective was to stop Sodiq from delivering his international passport to Abuja so he could fulfil the bail conditions recently imposed by a Federal High Court.
He said the passport was to be deposited before the court in compliance with the conditions set 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.
The activist also claimed that after the drone was confiscated, he directed Sodiq to leave it with the DSS officers and continue to Abuja because delivering the passport was urgent.
According to him, the journalist later honoured an invitation to the DSS office in Abuja over the seized drone but was taken into custody immediately after arriving.
Sowore further alleged that lawyers representing him contacted the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, who initially described the matter as a routine screening related to the drone.
He claimed the situation 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 accused the DSS of using detention to intimidate critics.
The Take It Back Movement also condemned Sodiq’s detention, alleging she was invited to Abuja under the guise of retrieving her confiscated drone equipment before being taken into custody.
The group argued that the journalist was carrying out legitimate professional duties and should not be harassed 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 maintained that journalism and political reporting should never be treated as criminal offences 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 either release Sodiq immediately or, if it believed she had committed an offence, arraign her before a court of competent jurisdiction.
