The Department of State Services (DSS) has released two Jay 101.9 FM journalists, Ruth Marcus and Keshia Jang, who were wrongfully arrested on Thursday, October 3, 2025, while covering President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Jos, Plateau State.
The journalists were apprehended while filming an altercation between a cleric and security personnel during the funeral service of the late mother of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, held at the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) headquarters in Jos.
Their arrest drew strong condemnation from Jay FM management, the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), and several civil society organisations, who described the action as illegal and a violation of press freedom.
Following mounting public pressure, the DSS Director-General, Oluwatosin Ajayi, on Sunday, October 5, 2025, ordered their release and issued an apology to the NUJ, acknowledging the detention as a procedural error.
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The Service further disclosed that an internal investigation has been launched to identify and sanction operatives involved in the wrongful arrest.
The incident has reignited calls from media stakeholders for better protection of journalists and full adherence to constitutional guarantees of free press and expression in Nigeria.