A former presidential candidate Oby Ezekwesili says she has written to the National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno to retrieve the passport of a lawyer Modupe Odele allegedly seized by the Department of State Services (DSS) on Sunday.
Mrs Ezekwesili, a former minister of education and of solid minerals, stated this in a tweet on Tuesday following outrage over the incident on Twitter.
Odele, a promoter of the #EndSARS protest against police brutality, had written in a newsletter on Monday that she was barred by immigration officers from leaving the country for the Maldives. No reason was given, according to her.
Ezekwesili said the DSS must release the passport with apologies.
She wrote: “I have written the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno of @NigeriaGov @MBuhari @NGRPresident to immediately retrieve the passport of @Mochievous Modupe Odele from the State Security Service and deliver it to her with apologies.
“Nigeria can never be a Police State #EndSARS.”
Odele says she would give an update on the incident after meeting the authorities with her lawyers on Tuesday.
The lawyer had offered free legal aid to persons who were arrested during the #EndSARS demonstrations.
