The Department of State Services (DSS) has debunked reports claiming it arrested or detained renowned author and academic, Professor Okey Ndibe, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Monday.
The clarification was issued in a statement by Favour Dozie, the Deputy Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications at the DSS National Headquarters on Tuesday.
DSS described the airport encounter as a routine interface meant to facilitate the final removal of the professor’s name from its old regulatory watch-lists.
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According to the secret service, the current Director-General of the DSS recently ordered a comprehensive review of historical Watch-List Actions (WLAs), some of which have remained active since the military era, to prevent law-abiding citizens from facing unnecessary disruptions during travel.
The security agency explained that before an individual can be completely expunged from the database, operatives must routinely interface with them to verify that their current travel patterns and socio-political activities no longer align with the initial reasons for their listing.
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“In this regard, all those who had previously been watchlisted while on transit, are routinely interfaced with as a prerequisite for a review and possible downgrade of the Action,” DSS stated.
“This, being a precursor to a final delisting in accordance with international best practices.”
The DSS cited a similar historical case involving Lanre Arogundade, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), who was successfully cleared and delisted in May 2025 after spending more than ten years on the agenc’s monitoring database.
The intelligence agency revealed that Professor Ndibe had been placed on its active watchlist since January 29, 2013.
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However, following the new management’s administrative review, his security status was formally reviewed and downgraded.
The DSS maintained that the interaction at the airport lasted barely an hour, after which the academic was fully cleared and escorted to continue his travel.
The agency further noted that Ndibe himself acknowledged the civilized behavior of the personnel on his personal social media page.
“The interface with him at the airport was geared towards the final delisting of his details from the Action,” the DSS statement clarified.
“After barely an hour of his interaction with the Service, he was cleared and escorted. Note that, even on his Facebook post, he referenced the professional, courteous and decorous conduct of Service operatives, who continue to scale their respect for the rule of law and human rights under the new Leadership.”
Reiterating its commitment to the rule of law and the fair treatment of all citizens, the DSS announced that the database cleanup will be sustained as a continuous internal exercise.
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The security agency encouraged any Nigerian citizens who suspect they are still affected by historical Watch-List Actions to submit a report to the DSS National Headquarters in Abuja to accelerate their clearance.
The agency, however, emphasised that it will continue its internal database hygiene independently to ensure all legacy travel restrictions are systematically updated.
