Professor Okey Ndibe, celebrated Nigerian novelist and academic, was detained for over three hours by the Department of State Services at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos earlier this month. In a Facebook post following his release, Ndibe wrote: “I am fine and in excellent spirits. I treasure your messages and gestures of friendship.” The DSS, for its part, has denied that any arrest took place, insisting the airport stop was part of what it described as a watchlist clean-up exercise conducted in line with international best practices. Nigerians, including many in the literary community, have not been satisfied with that explanation.

The watchlist itself is not new. Writer Elnathan John, responding to the incident on social media, offered the most clarifying context:

“Unfortunately this keeps happening to Okey Ndibe because decades ago someone in the military put his name on the secret service watchlist and even though this is now outdated, they do this to him every time he enters the country. I am certain however that if he was a government apologist (like some other Nigerian writers) he would have had this problem fixed a long time ago.”

A democratic administration placing a writer on a secret watchlist is an uncomfortable fact that needs to be addressed definitively. The DSS’s explanation raises more questions than it answers. If the intention was genuinely to remove Ndibe from a database, the agency has offices, addresses, and personnel across the country. It could have sent a letter, placed a phone call, or extended a formal invitation through proper channels. Instead, it chose to intercept him at the airport, surrounded by state machinery, and without immediate access to legal counsel.

The response from the global literary community was immediate and pointed. Nigerian novelist Chris Abani wrote simply: “Dimkpa, ndo. Anything I can do let me know.” Ainehi Edoro, founder of Brittle Paper, responding to his Facebook post, said she was “relieved to see your note” and sent love and support. Nana Ayebia Clarke MBE, founder of Ayebia Clarke Publishing and one of the most important figures in African literature publishing in the UK, wrote: “So sorry to hear this but glad to know you are OK. Stay Strong and WE will be strong with you.” Scholar and poet Professor Remi Raji asked directly: “When will the records be set straight and Ndibe cleared from this perennial palaver?” Nigerian poet Iquo DianaAbasi, who said she had thought the detentions had stopped, offered simply: “Ndo. Welcome home.”

We join the chorus of voices wishing Professor Ndibe well, and in hoping that this is the last time he, or any Nigerian writer, is made to feel like a stranger at the door of their own homeland.