It was a traumatic experience for Mr. Lanre Arogundade, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, who recounted his ordeal in the hands of operatives of State Security at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Thursday, April 11, 2024., on his way out of the country to attend an international conference.

“It was an embarrassment to be singled out from among three colleagues traveling for the same purpose and booked on the same flight”. He escaped missing his flight by a whisker and was allowed to board when the airplane was almost taxing for takeoff. It was a late-night Air France flight to Berlin, Germany, to attend a conference hosted by the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) and the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX).

Speaking to the NDR, Mr. Arogundade said: “I met with the officers of DSS at the airport, and they were like, there is something wrong with my name. One of them said that I would have to talk to their boss. I tried to explain to him that two years ago, the DSS said they had removed my name from the watchlist and he responded that it is still there, claiming he did not know whether it was brought back or not but that I would have to talk to his boss at the immigration office.

“He then demanded my old passports starting from my first international trip, a rather absurd request. The boss also demanded my old passports and I asked him what he needed them for since I have a new valid passport with visas. It was practically impossible for me to be carrying my old passports with me; let alone be able to produce them on the spot. It was like a stalemate or dead end for my trip as they appeared obstinate.

“As we continued to drag it out, I realized that I should show him the story published at that time that my name had been removed from the watchlist. It was a story of the meeting of the International Press Institute and the Director General of the Department of State Security.

“The International Press Institute (IPI) of which Mr. Mojeed Iskiliu is the Nigerian President in his reaction had said perhaps they should have asked for a written confirmation that my name has been removed, but they took the word of the DG for it, so it is still difficult to know what has happened as the DSS has yet to reach out.”

Speaking on the next line of action, the veteran journalist said: “I am now obligated to get my clearance more legitimately, without taking the word of the DSS at its face value as they did initially; to avoid the recurrence of a similar experience. In terms of the next steps, one now has to use legitimate means to demand an explanation, and I guess that is the next step now because one is not sure that it will not reoccur.”

Mr. Arogundade had last week complained that DSS officials delayed him for almost an hour at the departure point because his name was still on their watchlist, prompting a threat from one of the secret police’s senior officials to bar him from traveling if he did not present his old passports.

The veteran journalist’s name may have been put on the DSS watchlist between 1984 and 1985, during the military regime, when he was the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

Although the DSS claimed to have removed his name from the list in 2022 following a similar incident, which prompted media professionals to approach the secret police for clarification. However recent events have suggested otherwise, prompting press freedom advocates and media organisations to lament the incident in different solidarity statements, demanding prompt action in response to what they perceived to be a calculated attempt to violate his fundamental right of movement.

Several Civil Society organizations, media outlets and press freedom fighters in the country, have decried the action of the Department of State Services (DSS) agents’ and called for an end to the persistent harassment of Mr. Lanre Arogundade.

The Coalition for Whistleblower Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF)in a statement signed by Busola Ajibola, Deputy Director of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, described Mr Arogundade’s repeated harassment as a violation of his fundamental human rights as well as an attack on press freedom.

The statement reads in part: The CWPPF considers Mr Lanre Arogundade’s unwarranted harassment by DSS men to be a violation of his fundamental human right as well as an attack on press freedom. Journalists and human rights advocates deserve a free environment to operate without fear of harassment and prejudice.

“As a coalition, we believe that such acts of intimidation and harassment have no place in a democracy and stand strongly condemned.

“We join the International Press Centre (IPC) to call on the Director General of the DSS, Mr. Yusuf Magaji Bichi to remove Mr. Arogundade’s name from their watchlist. We also want him to direct DSS officials at all Nigerian International Airports to desist from further harassing Mr. Arogundade or limiting his right to free movement stand in solidarity with Mr Arogundade and demand a thorough investigation into the incident to forestall a recurrence of such.”

In the same vein, other media platforms and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) also condemned the incident as they called on President Tinubu to intervene in the recurring incident. In its statement, The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) called on the administration to correct the security’s attempt to violate Mr Arogundade’s rights.

“We urge President Tinubu to immediately direct law enforcement agencies to end the harassment and unlawful surveillance of journalist Lanre Arogundade. The administration must take concrete steps to prosecute those responsible, and to protect Mr Arogundade’s rights.”

YIAGA Africa in the same tone on its X handle, condemned the DSS act, calling for an end to the violation of journalists’ and activists’ rights “ We strongly condemn the unjust harassment of Mr Lanre Arogundade (@lanreipc) of @IPCng by @OfficialDSSNG and demand an investigation into the misuse of authority and the violation of his rights. “We at @YIAGAraise our voices in solidarity with him and call for an end to the harassment of Journalists, activists, and other members of Civil Society.

Likewise, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) also stated that “Defending Democracy: We’re Standing firm with Mr. Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of IPC[@IPCng], against unwarranted harassment by the State Security Service [@OfficialDSSNG ]It’s time for an investigation into the abuse of power, rights violations, and attacks on democratic values. Let’s ensure the safety and well-being of civic actors!”

In a similar tone, Dataphyte also called for the protection of the civic Space. Adding that it “is imperative to ensuring citizens’ fundamental human rights and a rich engagement in our Democracy. In this line, the Dataphyte Foundation condemns the continuous suppression and harassment of Mr. Lanre Arogundade, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, by the State Security Service.”

Moreso, press freedom organisations like the International Press Institute, (IPI), Enough is Enough, and Press Attack Tracker expressed their dissatisfaction with the development, calling for an investigation into the incident.

IPI wrote in solidarity that “IPI condemns harassment of @IPCngDirector Lanre Arogundade on April 11. State Security Service officials at the airport accosted him, claimed he was on their watch list & threatened to bar him from traveling. Arogundade was enroute to @IFEXGM

Enough is Enough also noted that “We stand with Lanre Arogundade, who faced harassment by @OfficialDSSNGover a baseless watchlist claim and demand an investigation into the misuse of authority and violation of his rights. We strongly condemn the continued harassment of the Executive Director of @IPCng, Mr. Lanre Arogundade and we demand that his name be taken off the DSS watchlist.