By SCM Correspondent, FCT
ABUJA—The Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed the detention of a woman, Zainab Sodiq, at its National Headquarters in Abuja for being in possession of an unauthorized Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone.
Sodiq was intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos on July 6, 2026, by a joint team of DSS operatives and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel. She was reportedly attempting to board a domestic flight to Abuja from the MMIA border control without an End-User Certificate (EUC).
In a press statement issued on Thursday, July 9, 2026, by the Deputy Director, Public Relations and Strategic Communications at the DSS National Headquarters, Favour Dozie, the secret police revealed that Sodiq admitted to not having the required authorization when confronted.
According to the statement, Sodiq was initially allowed to board her flight to Abuja due to a prior engagement but was instructed to report to the DSS headquarters on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, for further questioning, leading to her subsequent detention.
”In further compliance with the NSA extant rules which conveys on the Service, powers to impound and sanction any individual or corporate entity operating Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS)/Drones in any part of the country without authorization, Service investigation has commenced,” Dozie stated.
The DSS noted that the strict enforcement is necessitated by rising global and domestic security concerns surrounding unregulated drone operations, particularly regarding privacy breaches and public safety.
The intelligence agency, however, reassured the public of its commitment to professionalism and adherence to the rule of law throughout the investigation.
The interception and detention of Zainab Sodiq highlight the Nigerian government’s increasingly stringent stance on the importation and operation of drones, driven by overlapping national security challenges.
The End-User Certificate (EUC) Requirement
In Nigeria, drones—categorized under Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS)—are classified as controlled items. Under guidelines issued by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), anyone wishing to import, possess, or operate a drone must obtain an End-User Certificate.
The EUC is a vital security clearance used to verify that military-grade or dual-use technologies (like drones with high-resolution cameras or long-range capabilities) do not fall into the hands of criminals, terrorists, or unauthorized individuals.
The DSS’s emphasis on “domestic security concerns” points directly to Nigeria’s ongoing battle against asymmetric security threats.
In recent years, non-state actors, including Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in the Northeast and armed bandit groups in the Northwest and North-central zones, have increasingly turned to affordable, commercial drone technology.
These criminal networks use drones for:
Reconstructing security formations and mapping out military positions.
By strictly enforcing EUC regulations at international entry points like the MMIA, security agencies aim to choke the supply chain of unauthorized surveillance equipment capable of compromising national security and individual privacy.
Zainab Sodiq is not the only journalist using drone for video footage, almost all TV stations including TVC, and some online news outlets use the drone technology for recording video footage.
