Nigerian Army Arrests Investigative Journalist Fisayo Soyombo

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.

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.