A lawyer and promoter of the #EndSARS movement Modupe Odele has alleged she was barred from leaving the country on Sunday.
With over 200,000 followers on Twitter, Odele had mobilised them during the protests.
In a newsletter sent out on Monday, she said she was on her way to the Maldives to celebrate her birthday when she was accosted 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.’”
Odele said she was detained while her passport was seized by immigration officers.
In a tweet on Tuesday, she wrote: “Hello everyone. Thank you so much. I’m fine and I’m safe. We haven’t confirmed yet why I was stopped on Sunday or by whom. But I’ve been invited back in with my lawyers today. I’ll update when I have more information but please don’t spread false news. That is dangerous.”
Odele had also offered free legal aid to persons who were arrested during the demonstrations.
