Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday denied reports that it arrested or detained writer and academic Prof. Okey Ndibe at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, saying its interaction with him was part of an ongoing review of legacy watchlist records.
In a statement, the DSS said Ndibe, who had been on its watchlist since Jan. 29, 2013, was briefly engaged by operatives at the airport as part of a process aimed at reviewing and ultimately removing outdated watchlist actions.
The agency said its Director-General had ordered a comprehensive review of old Watch-List Actions (WLAs), including some dating back to Nigeria’s military era, to prevent citizens from facing unnecessary embarrassment while travelling.
According to the DSS, individuals previously placed on watchlists are routinely invited for interactions to assess their travel history and current activities before any final decision is taken on downgrading or removing the listing.
The service said Ndibe’s case had already been reviewed and downgraded and that the airport interaction was intended to facilitate his final delisting.
“After barely an hour of his interaction with the Service, he was cleared and escorted,” the statement said.
The DSS added that several Nigerians, including journalists, had benefited from the review process. It cited the case of media advocate Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Centre, whose removal from the watchlist was approved in May 2025 after more than a decade.
The agency said it would continue reviewing watchlist records in line with legal provisions and international best practices, while encouraging affected individuals to contact its headquarters to support the ongoing exercise.