The Department of State Services (DSS) has placed Omoyele Sowore, founder of Sahara Reporters and a convener of the Take It Back Movement, on an updated watchlist with instructions for its operatives to arrest and detain him whenever he arrives in Nigeria and take him to the National Headquarters of the Secret Service (NHSS), FIJ has gathered.
On Thursday, Sowore shared a copy of the DSS signal dated August 16, 2024, on X. According to this signal, the DSS upgraded its watchlist instruction from WLA ‘B’ to WLA ‘F’.
The previous instruction to DSS operatives was to “report arrival and destination by telephone immediately”. These new instructions read, “Detain traveller and escort with baggage to the NHSS”.
Commenting on the development, Sowore said in the same Thursday post, “The current administration, led by Tinubu, has demonstrated an upgraded inability to effectively track and apprehend terrorism suspects, bandits, and kidnappers, while the EFCC has yet to arrest former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
“Meanwhile, the lawless DSS has upgraded my status and name on their ‘watchlist’ for arrest upon arrival in Nigeria.”
On Thursday afternoon, FIJ called Peter Afunaya, DSS spokesman. As soon as FIJ asked if the signal came from the DSS, Afunaya dropped the call. FIJ called him back but he refused to pick. He had not responded at press time.
Sowore was vocal during the August 1 to 10 #EndBadGovernance protest and has publicly said another protest will be held on October 1.
In recent times, the Nigerian government has described the protest effort as an attempt to usurp the government of the day and it has arrested several participants across the country.
