Okey Ndibe, who writes a weekly column on politics for The Sun newspaper, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the State Security Service detained him at Lagos' international airport Saturday night.

Ndibe, a US citizen who teaches at Trinity College in Connecticut, says the police seized his passports.

A secret police spokeswoman could not be immediately reached for comment.

Ndibe's most recent column warned that Nigeria "has grown into a perfect kingdom for terrorists and criminals" ahead of the April presidential election.