Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) has strongly condemned the administration of President Bola Tinubu for what it describes as a dangerous pattern of deploying state security agencies against journalists and political opponents while terrorists continue to operate with impunity, using armed drones to attack Nigerian troops and civilians. In a statement issued on Friday, July 10, 2026, the group accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of diverting scarce security resources toward prosecuting a journalist over a commercially available drone while failing to dismantle terrorist networks that have repeatedly deployed unmanned aerial vehicles in attacks across Nigeria's North-East.
The group's criticism centres on the arrest and detention of journalist Zainab Sodiq, who was taken into custody by DSS operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on July 6, 2026, while attempting to travel to Abuja with a DJI Mavic Air drone. According to the DSS, Sodiq was intercepted for allegedly possessing the drone without the required End User Certificate (EUC), a violation of regulations governing the acquisition and operation of unmanned aerial vehicles in Nigeria. The agency confirmed that she is being detained at its National Headquarters in Abuja while investigations continue, and has indicated that she may face arraignment.
The YRC, however, dismissed the DSS's explanation, describing the detention as a "dangerous assault on press freedom and democratic rights." In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Michael Adaramoye, and National Secretary, Francis Nwapa, the group argued that the continued detention of a journalist for using equipment that has become a standard professional tool for journalists, photographers, and filmmakers exposed the "misplaced priorities" of Nigeria's security agencies. "The continued detention of a journalist for using equipment that has become a common professional tool for journalists, photographers, filmmakers, surveyors, and event coverage across Nigeria is a disturbing illustration of misplaced priorities by the country's secret police," the group said.
The YRC questioned why the DSS appeared capable of swiftly tracking and arresting a journalist over a commercially available drone while failing to stop terrorist groups that have repeatedly deployed drones in attacks across Nigeria's North-East. "If the DSS possesses the capacity to track, seize and detain a journalist over a commercially available drone, Nigerians are entitled to ask why the same level of urgency has not been directed toward dismantling terrorist drone networks that have repeatedly attacked Nigerian soldiers and civilians in the North-East," the group stated.
According to the YRC, reports over the past several years have documented how the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has increasingly deployed drones for surveillance, intelligence gathering, and battlefield reconnaissance. The group further alleged that commercially available drones have been modified to drop explosives on military positions, while dozens of such devices were reportedly smuggled into terrorist-controlled areas around the Lake Chad region. The YRC noted that troops under Operation Hadin Kai have reportedly come under attacks involving terrorist-operated drones during operations in the Timbuktu Triangle and Sambisa axis. "These developments represent a genuine national security emergency deserving of the full attention and resources of Nigeria's security agencies," the group added.
The YRC also accused the government of intensifying what it described as a pattern of intimidation against journalists, activists, and opposition figures. The group said that the prosecution of human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and the detention of Zainab Sodiq are evidence that state institutions are increasingly being deployed against dissent rather than confronting Nigeria's worsening security crisis. "The persistent prosecution of Omoyele Sowore, repeated intimidation of activists, and now the detention of Zainab Sodiq reinforce growing fears that state institutions are increasingly being deployed against dissent instead of confronting the security threats facing the country," the group said.
The group further noted that scarce security resources were being diverted away from more pressing national security concerns, including terrorism, kidnapping, and the rescue of abducted citizens. "The planned arraignment of Zainab Sodiq is a glaring misuse of public resources. At a time when terrorism, kidnapping and violent criminality continue to devastate communities across Nigeria, when nearly one hundred abducted students and teachers remain in captivity in different parts of the country awaiting rescue, the decision to devote scarce security resources to prosecuting a journalist demonstrates an alarming disconnect from the country's pressing security challenges," the YRC said.
The YRC maintained that Nigeria's democratic freedoms were secured through decades of struggle by journalists, students, workers, and pro-democracy activists, warning that continued attacks on press freedom threaten those gains. The group demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Zainab Sodiq, the withdrawal of any planned prosecution against her, an end to the harassment of journalists, activists, and human rights defenders, and a halt to what it described as the persistent targeting of Sowore and other opposition voices. The YRC also called on the DSS, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and other security agencies to redirect their efforts toward dismantling terrorist drone networks, rescuing abducted Nigerians, and tackling the country's worsening insecurity.
"History will not judge kindly any government that deploys the instruments of state against journalists while terrorists continue to terrorize communities, attack military formations and hold innocent Nigerians hostage," the group said. "The struggle for democracy, press freedom, and fundamental human rights must continue. No amount of intimidation will silence the demand for justice, accountability and genuine security for all Nigerians."
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