Nigerian Authorities Plan to Arrest Journalist Over Undercover Investigations

A Journalist, Fisayo Soyombo who embarked on an undercover investigation that exposed how Policemen perpetuate corruption against citizens and the courts short change the law is now in danger of being arrested.

During his investigation, Soyombo took on an alias – Ojo Olajumoke – spent five days in a cell at Pedro Police Station, Shomolu, Lagos. And eight days in Ikoyi prison.

His reports contained audio, pictorial and video evidence of corruption in the Nigerian judicial system.

The Guardian learned that it is the second part of Soyombo’s story that has irked the Nigerian prison authorities, especially the comptroller-general of the prison services.

A security source told The Guardian Newspapers on Tuesday morning that Soyombo, scheduled to speak at a workshop on fake news organised by Goethe Institute on Tuesday evening, is to be arrested at the venue of the event. He has since pulled out of the event.

“Prison authorities are very angry and have decided to get the journalist arrested,” the source said.

“He is to be charged to court and prosecuted under Section 29 of the Nigeria Correctional Service Act.”

Subsection 1 (d) of the Act states that a person is deemed to have committed an offence if he “procures or facilitates the procurement of communication devices for an inmate or makes conversation or aids the making of conversation through a mobile phone or other devices to an inmate other than as provided in the Correctional Standing Orders and other related correctional policies.”

The hounding and the outright assassination of journalists who exposed the official corruption in Nigerian are rampant.