THE State Security Service (SSS) has dismissed the allegations that its operatives detained Nigerian writer, Okey Ndibe, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
In a statement on Tuesday, June 2, by the SSS Deputy Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Favour Dozie, the agency said Ndibe was neither arrested nor detained on Monday June 1.
It described its operatives encounter with the writer as part of a routine watch-list review process.
The clarification comes amid earlier accounts that the US-based professor was briefly detained at the airport on Monday.
A statement by human rights activist Omoyele Sowore had noted that SSS operatives stopped Ndibe, questioned him over his travel plans, and described his arrival as ‘suspicious.’
According to Sowore, the questioning reportedly escalated into what he described as a short detention during which the writer was asked to explain his movements, including where he intended to go and who he planned to meet in Nigeria.
Ndibe later confirmed the development in a statement on Facebook, stating that he was held for more than three hours before he was released.
“I am so grateful for the expressions of concern by many friends, acquaintances and others over my detention earlier today by the SSS at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. The two agents who interacted with me were quite courteous throughout the three+ hours of my detention,” he wrote.
He further confirmed that he had been released and assured well-wishers that he was “fine and in excellent spirits.”
“I’d like to confirm that I’ve been released. Dozens of people have called me from different parts of the world, I was only able to speak to a few. In the coming days, I’ll find time to return more calls. But I want all to know that I am fine and in excellent spirits. I treasure your messages and gestures of friendship,” he added.
The SSS, however, rejected the description of detention, insisting that what occurred was an ‘interface’ linked to an ongoing review of old Watch-List Actions (WLAs), some of which date back to the military era.
According to the agency, Ndibe had been placed on its watch list since January 29, 2013, but his case had already been reviewed and downgraded as part of a broader clearance exercise directed by the current Director-General upon assumption of office.
The Service said the process was aimed at ensuring that Nigerians are not unduly embarrassed by outdated security listings and that affected individuals are assessed before final delisting.
It added that the airport engagement was part of standard procedures to verify that the activities and travel history of individuals no longer align with the original reasons for their listing.
“After barely an hour of his interaction with the Service, he was cleared and escorted,” the SSS said.
“Suffice to point out that since the inception of the current management, many Nigerians, including journalists have benefited from this process. This is despite the fact that the Service conducts this clearance to take care of watch list requests from other agencies. A case in point is that of Mr Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Centre, IPC, whose delisting was approved in May 2025, after over a decade on the watchlist.
“In the same vein, Prof Ndibe has been on Watchlist since January 29, 2013. Meanwhile, his case has been reviewed and downgraded. Thus, the interface with him at the airport was geared towards the final delisting of his details from the action. As part of the routine interface involved in the process, after barely an hour of his interaction with the Service, he was cleared and escorted. Note that, even on his Facebook post, he referenced the professional, courteous and decorous conduct of Service operatives, who continue to scale their respect for the rule of law and human rights under the new leadership,” he said.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M