IGP Orders Investigative Journalist, Fisayo Soyombo Detained Over Story On Police Corruption
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered the detention of investigative journalist, ‘Fisayo Soyombo, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
It was discovered that Soyombo, who is the owner of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, was detained on Monday, 13th December, after he availed himself for a police invitation.
According to reports, Soyombo’s detention was as a result of an investigative story which his company published back in August 2021 alleging that a Deputy Inspector General of Police, Joseph Egbunike, alongside other police chiefs approved over N1bn for some police transit camp projects in Benue, Bauchi, Plateau, Katsina and Kano states.
Soyombo’s FIJ further reported that after a visit to the project locations nothing or little had been done; three years later.
The news platform added that Egbunike was in his previous role as Commissioner of Police in charge of Budget and Finance at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters when the approval for the projects took place.
Egbunike, who is now a DIG, headed the police internal panel that probed suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, who was recently indicted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his alleged involvement in a $1.1m Internet scam carried out by an Instagram influencer, Abbas Ramon, popularly known as Hushpuppi and four others.
It was also gathered that Egbunike raised some lawyers who petitioned the IGP to prosecute the journalist for alleged defamation.
The IGP as a result, invited Soyombo to the Force headquarters in Abuja.
As soon as he got to the Force Headquarters on Monday, the journalist, in a Facebook post, wrote, “I have just arrived at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, to honour an invitation from the Monitoring Unit of the Inspector General of Police. They say my “name and phone number featured in an investigation” they are conducting.
“The decision to come was straightforward: I am a law-abiding citizen who has committed no crime unless journalism is one. If there is no update on this handle by dusk, it means I have been unjustly detained. I will be surrendering my devices now…”
