The Conversation Africa condemns harassment of West Africa editor Adejuwon Soyinka

The Conversation Africa condemns the harassment of its West Africa editor, Adejuwon Soyinka, by Nigeria’s Department of State Security operatives.

Soyinka was detained for six hours on Sunday when he landed in Lagos on a flight from the UK. He was stopped by immigration officials on the basis that there was a problem with his passport. However, he was later told during questioning by Department of State Security operatives that his name had been placed on a watchlist by another unnamed state security agency for reasons that were not explained.

He was later released. But his passport was withheld, pending confirmation by the Department of State Security that the unnamed agency that placed him on a watch list was no longer interested in him.

Soyinka, an award winning journalist, joined The Conversation Africa in February 2020. The Conversation, a global network, is an independent source of research and expertise-based insights from the academic and research community. It is delivered direct to the public, and is freely available for other media to republish.

Soyinka’s harassment will have a chilling effect, not only on journalism but on the academy, too. Both – media and academic freedoms which are mutually beneficial – are key pillars of a free and a democratic society. Journalists and scholars should be free to make facts public, however inconvenient those facts might be for those in power.