Nigerian Army arrests investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo – FIJ

The Nigerian Army has reportedly arrested and detained investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo.

Mr Soyombo, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), was taken into custody on Tuesday, according to the organisation.

In a post on X, FIJ said the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt has been detaining Mr Soyombo for three days running.

The Nigerian army has not confirmed his arrest as of Friday afternoon and circumstances of his detention remain unclear.

Onyeama Nwachukwu, the army spokesperson, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES calls and a message seeking his comment on the matter.

“All his devices have been seized,” FIJ said on X. “The Army must preserve his evidence and truth. Don’t destroy the evidence. We insist the truth must come out. It’s in your custody, don’t destroy the evidence.”

The detention of Mr Soyombo suggests an ominous sign for journalists critical of the Nigerian system. Many journalists and citizen journalists have been arrested by state agents in a similar manner.

Mr Soyombo recently published a number of reports on how porous Nigerian borders have become, often accusing the Customs for enabling smuggling and illegal activities in the country.

In 2021, the Nigerian Police detained Mr Soyombo following a publication in which his paper indicted a senior police officer. This year, Mr Soyombo’s colleague, Daniel Ojukwu, was arrested and detained for several days by the police.

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Mr Soyombo’s case adds to concerns about the repression of journalists that many press freedom groups say has expanded in scale and scope in Nigeria.

The law that many of the journalists were accused of violating is the Cybersecurity Act, one that the authorities frequently use against critics of the government.

In the first six months of this year, more than 24 Nigerian journalists faced a form of harassment while carrying out their constitutional duties.

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PREMIUM TIMES reported that officers of the Nigerian Police, under the leadership of the Inspector General (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, were the most prominent perpetrators, accounting for nearly half of the verified cases of harassment.

In the second half of the year, the press attacks have followed a similar pattern and continued unabated. The attacks range from arbitrary arrests, detention and invitations for no genuine reason.