Concern as DSS detains US-based writer Okey Ndibe at Lagos airport

Public criticism has intensified following the brief detention of US-based Nigerian author and columnist, Professor Okey Ndibe, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Ndibe was reportedly stopped and interrogated shortly after his arrival in Nigeria on Sunday before being released hours later.

Security sources said the DSS informed him that his name appeared on a security watch-list, a development that led to his questioning at the airport. He was also allegedly advised to travel to Abuja to resolve the issue and secure the removal of his name from the list to prevent future incidents.

The writer, however, declined the suggestion, expressing frustration over what he described as repeated harassment of individuals critical of government practices.
“I told the SSS that it’s a shame a country that rolls out the red carpet for criminals would harass a writer who wages war on corruption and the corrupt,” Ndibe said.

This is not the first time the academic and author has had a confrontation with security operatives at the Lagos airport. In 2011, he was detained for several hours by the DSS, during which his Nigerian and US passports were reportedly seized for two days. His travel documents were also previously withheld on another occasion before being released after intervention from civil society groups.

Ndibe, who has lived in the United States since 1998, is widely known for his essays and commentary on governance, democracy and corruption in Nigeria.
The latest incident has drawn condemnation from public commentators and rights advocates.

Former Anambra State Commissioner for Information, C. Don Adinuba, criticised the detention, accusing the DSS of failing to properly update its records.

Adinuba said Ndibe had repeatedly been cleared in previous encounters after interventions from DSS headquarters in Abuja, yet continued to be subjected to airport stops.

“It is unfortunate that the agency still treats Prof Ndibe as a security concern. On each occasion, he is released after Abuja intervenes and apologies are made,” he said.

He further noted that Ndibe has largely focused on academic work and writing in recent years at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, rather than Nigerian media commentary.

Human rights lawyer Abdul Mahmoud also condemned the detention, describing it as unnecessary and reflective of broader governance challenges.

“The arrest of the US-based Nigerian novelist, Professor Okey Ndibe, is uncalled for, unjustifiable and reckless. It reflects a troubling culture of insecurity in governance,” he said.