Yemi Obafemi
The Conversation Africa has emphasized that Journalists and scholars should be free to make facts public, as media and academic freedoms are key pillars of a free and a democratic society.
The management of the Conversation Africa disclosed this in press release condemning the harassment of its West Africa editor, Adejuwon Soyinka, by Nigeria’s Department of State Security operatives.
The statement reads: Soyinka was detained by the DSS on for six hours on Sunday when he landed in Lagos on a flight from the UK.
“He was stopped by immigration officials on the basis that there was a problem with his passport.
“However, he was later told during questioning by Department of State Security operatives that his name had been placed on a watchlist by another unnamed state security agency for reasons that were not explained.
“He was later released. But his passport was withheld, pending confirmation by the Department of State Security that the unnamed agency that placed him on a watch list was no longer interested in him.
“Soyinka’s harassment will have a chilling effect, not only on journalism but on the academy, too. Both – media and academic freedoms which are mutually beneficial – are key pillars of a free and a democratic society. Journalists and scholars should be free to make facts public, however inconvenient those facts might be for those in power”.
Soyinka’s freedom was obtained following the intervention of the International Press Institute.
