Police interrogate journalist over report on SDG office

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC), on Wednesday, released Fisayo Soyombo, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), on bail.  Daily Trust had reported how Soyombo was invited by the police over different stories published by his platform, particularly the one that concerns the presidential aide handling SDGs […]

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC), on Wednesday, released Fisayo Soyombo, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), on bail. 

Daily Trust had reported how Soyombo was invited by the police over different stories published by his platform, particularly the one that concerns the presidential aide handling SDGs office, Orelope Adefulire. 

The journalist, who was accompanied by his organisation’s lawyer, Abimbola Ojenike, to the NPF-NCCC headquarters located at Diplomatic Drive, Central Business District, Abuja, was released at about 4:55pm. 

He told Daily Trust that the officers were professional when interrogating him. 

“Nothing much. Nothing dramatic. To be fair, they were professional. They even offered us food but we were okay before we got there. 

“Even though the Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, had said that there were more than 15 allegations against me and FIJ, I came in without knowing what exactly I was here for. 

“It ended up being about the Orelope Adefulire story,” Soyombo, who was quizzed for about 8 hours, told his colleagues at the entrance of NPF-NCCC after his release. 

Soyombo also disclosed that one of the bail conditions was that he should report to NPF-NCCC headquarters bi-weekly. 

“Like I was saying, it was for this story that Shonibare was grilled; for which the police abducted Daniel Ojukwu and kept him in unlawful detention for days. Now, I am out on bail and I am supposed to come back here every two weeks,” the journalist added.