The Nigerian Immigration Service on Tuesday prevented one Modupe Odele, who mobilised her 219,000 followers during the #EndSARS protest and offered free legal aid to persons who were unjustly arrested during the demonstrations, from travelling out of the country.
Prior to this incident, there had been claims that members of the Feminist Coalition were being threatened and efforts made to arrest them for their part in the protests.
Confirming the development in a newsletter sent out on Monday, Odele said she was on her way to the Maldives to celebrate her birthday when she was stopped by Immigration officers.
She wrote: “For my birthday, I had planned a trip to the Maldives.
“It was really for a break as the events of the last three weeks have exhausted my mind and body in a way I have never been exhausted in my life.
“I went to the airport, passed through immigration, and while I was putting my bags through the body and baggage scanner, the immigration officer who had previously cleared me, called me back.
“He told me he had orders from above to detain me.
“Okay, at this point I’m like excuse me, my flight is in an hour.
“On what grounds are you detaining me? He didn’t respond.
“Instead, he goes to his computer where he typed in my name and something that looked like a ‘wanted poster’ popped up on the portal.
“He blocked my view so I couldn’t see most of it but I saw some of it.
“And it read something like – ‘This person is under investigation by XYZ Intelligence Agency.
“If seen, they should be apprehended on sight.”
According to Odele, she was detained while her passport was seized by the officers and she was made to miss her flight.
Meanwhile, after it was made public that Odele was prevented from leaving the country, Twitter users expressed outrage and asked if we are now in a police state.
Former presidential aspirant, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, and actress Lala Akindoju reacted by questioning the government for taking such action.
Though the intelligence agency that seized Odele’s passport was not mentioned, Ezekwesili said it was the Department of State Services.
Ezekwesili also added that she has written to the National Security Adviser, retired Major General Babagana Monguno, to “immediately retrieve the passport of Modupe Odele from the State Security Service”.