Media activist, Mr Lanre Arogundade, whose name first featured in the watchlist of Nigeria’s secret service as President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in 1984, now has it removed.
The Director General of the State Security Service, Yusuf Magaji Bichi disclosed this to a delegation of the Nigerian chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria), which visited him in Abuja on Wednesday.
Arogundade served as NANS President between 1984 and 1985 during the military regime of Major General Muhammadu Buhari and was arrested by the SSS as recent as three months ago at the Murata Muhammed International Airport in Lagos upon his arrival from Banjul, The Gambia where he went to train Gambian journalists on Conflict Sensitive Journalism.
Bishi told the IPI team, which was on high-level engagements on the safety of journalists and press freedom in Nigeria, that Arogundade, now the Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), that Arogundade was put on the SSS watchlist during his days as NANS President.
“We don’t intercept people willfully at airports. We do so based on requests from other government agencies who may have issues with the persons affected”, the SSS boss explained.
