The Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed that journalist, Zainab Sodiq, is in its custody, saying she is being investigated for allegedly operating a drone without the required authorisation.
The agency said Sodiq was detained over alleged violations of regulations governing the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), but activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, insists her arrest is politically motivated.
The development comes after Sowore and the Take It Back Movement accused the DSS 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 (FAAN AVSEC) 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, she could not produce the End User Certificate required under existing regulations for 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 did not have the required documents when questioned.
It added that she was nevertheless allowed to board her scheduled flight 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 investigation is being conducted in line with regulations issued by the Office of the National Security Adviser, which empower it 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 agency also maintained that it remains committed to professionalism and the rule of law.
Sowore, however, rejected the DSS’s explanation, insisting Sodiq was targeted because of her association with him and not because of the drone.
In a statement released on Thursday, the activist said the DJI Mavic Air drone referenced 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 only a pretext, claiming the real objective was to stop Sodiq from delivering his international passport to Abuja so he could perfect the bail recently granted to him by a Federal High Court.
According to him, the passport was required to be deposited before Justice M.G. Umar as part of his bail conditions.
“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 said he instructed Sodiq to leave the drone with DSS operatives and continue to Abuja because of the urgency of delivering the passport.
He claimed the journalist later honoured an invitation to the DSS office in Abuja over the seized drone but was immediately taken into custody.
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” linked to the drone.
Sowore alleged that the agency’s position 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.
The Take It Back Movement also condemned the detention, alleging that Sodiq was lured to Abuja under the guise of retrieving her seized drone before being arrested.
The group maintained that the journalist was simply carrying out her 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 statement said.
It argued that journalism and political reporting must 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 Movement called on the DSS to either release Sodiq immediately or charge her before a competent court if she has committed any offence.
