SSS clears air on Okey Ndibe incident at Lagos airport

The State Security Service (SSS) has said it did not arrest or detain well-known writer and academic Okey Ndibe at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. The agency said their interaction with him was part of a normal process to take his name off a long-standing watch list.

This clarification comes after Mr Ndibe shared on Facebook that he was detained by SSS operatives at the airport on Thursday. His post raised concern among his friends, colleagues, and supporters.

In a statement on Tuesday, Favour Dozie, the Deputy Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, said reports claiming Mr Ndibe was arrested are wrong.

The agency explained that Mr Ndibe has been on their watch list since January 29, 2013, but his case was recently reviewed and downgraded. This is part of an ongoing effort to review and clean up old Watch-List Actions (WLAs) that go back to the military era.

The SSS mentioned that its Director-General ordered a review of past watch-list records when he took office. This is to stop citizens from facing unnecessary embarrassment from old security alerts.

They said people on such lists are often contacted as part of the process to review, downgrade, and eventually remove their names. "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," the statement said.

The agency added that their interaction with Mr Ndibe took less than an hour. After that, he was cleared and escorted out.

But in a Facebook post after the incident, Mr Ndibe said the encounter felt like a detention that lasted over three hours. "I am so grateful for the expressions of concern by many friends, acquaintances and others over my detention earlier today by the DSS at Murtala Muhammed International Airport," he wrote.

He continued, "The two agents who interacted with me were quite courteous throughout the three+ hours of my detention. I’d like to confirm that I’ve been released."

Mr Ndibe also mentioned that he was in good health and spirits. He thanked those who reached out to him from around the world after news about the incident spread.

Despite the different stories about what happened and how long it lasted, both Mr Ndibe and the SSS agreed that the operatives acted professionally and politely.

The SSS pointed out that many Nigerians, including journalists, have benefited from the ongoing review of watch-list records. They gave the example of Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), who was taken off the watch list in May 2025 after being on it for over a decade.

The agency encouraged Nigerians who think they might be affected by existing watch-list actions to contact its national headquarters to help speed up the review process. They assured that they will continue working to clean up the watch-list system. "The process will continue to ensure that all Nigerians are fairly treated, with due regard to the provisions of the law," the statement added.