The Department of State Services (DSS) has refuted claims of arresting activist Juwon Sanyaolu. According to Peter Afunanya, the DSS spokesperson, who responded via WhatsApp on Thursday, Sanyaolu, the Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, is not in DSS custody. Afunanya explicitly stated, “He was not invited, arrested or detained by the Service.
Civil society groups have voiced concerns over Sanyaolu’s alleged arrest and have called for his immediate release. Hassan Taiwo, a human rights activist and National Coordinator of the Education Rights Campaign, echoed these sentiments in a post on X, demanding “the immediate and unconditional release” of Sanyaolu, whom he claimed was abducted by DSS agents on June 11, 2024.
The Lagos State Police Command also denied knowledge of Sanyaolu’s arrest, with Police Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin stating, “I don’t have that information. I’m not aware of it at all.”
Earlier reports circulating on social media had suggested that Sanyaolu, known for his involvement in organizing the Democracy Day protest, had been apprehended by unidentified security personnel in Lagos. Sanyaolu himself had sent a distress message confirming his arrest to our correspondent via WhatsApp, after which his communication became inaccessible.