President Bola Tinubu’s administration through the Department of State Services (DSS), has placed Omoyele Sowore on an updated watchlist with instructions for its operatives to arrest and detain him whenever he arrives in Nigeria from the United States.
On Thursday, Sowore who is the founder of Sahara Reporters and convener of the Take It Back Movement, shared a copy of the DSS leaked signal dated August 16, 2024, on his official X.
According to the signal, the secret police upgraded its watchlist instruction from WLA ‘B’ to WLA ‘F’
In the signal authorized by DSS official, Mr Adeola D. Ali references Sowore’s participation in the recent 10-day #EndBadGovernance protests.
The memo, labeled “DSE: 94/6203 X WATCHLIST ACTION,” details the strategy for detaining Sowore and provides directives for airport security.
The directive indicates that the DGSS has sanctioned the escalation of WLA ‘B’ (immediate telephone reporting of arrival and destination) to WLA ‘F’ (detain the traveler and escort with baggage to NHSS) concerning Omoyele Sowore, the activist and founder of Sahara Reporters Inc., an online news outlet.
Meanwhile, the directive comes at a time when tensions are rising between activists and the government, amid increasing demands for improved governance and an end to police brutality.
The DSS’s recent action is a continuation of their crackdown on activists, journalists, and opposition figures in Nigeria.
In recent months, the Nigerian government has been criticized for its stringent measures against dissent, as several prominent activists, such as Sowore, have been targeted by state repression.
Mr Sowore, having been arrested and detained in the past by the DSS for his role in the #RevolutionNow movement, persistently uses his platform, SaharaReporters, to uncover corruption and hold Nigerian leaders accountable.