Fisayo Soyombo detained over story exposing corruption

The founder of Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Olufisayo Babatunde Soyombo, has been detained by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Headquarters in Abuja, following the text message received from the police on November 23, 2021.

Datails of the text; “This office is conducting an investigation in which your name and phone number featured, in view of this, you are to interview the Head, IGP Monitoring Unit on the 29th November 2021 by 1000hrs at 1st Floor, Force Hqtrs,”.

The journalist honoured the invitation on Monday and discovered it was in connection to a story on the award of contracts for police camps.

The transit police accommodations are located in Benue, Bauchi, Plateau, Katsina and Kano States.

FIJ had reported how, in his former role as CP Budget and Finance, Joseph Egbunike, (now DIG), allegedly joined other senior cops to approve more than N1 billion for the projects.

Egbunike headed the police panel that investigated ex-IRT head, Abba Kyari, after an FBI indictment for alleged fraud and conspiracy.

When FIJ visited the project locations, nothing or little had been done after three years of approval.

At the N245 million transit camp in Riyom, Plateau State, two uncompleted bungalows and a few mobile buildings on an expanse of land were found, he revealed.

Pro-Egbunike’s lawyers petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali, over the story, demanding the “prosecution” of those behind the “defamation”.

The legal practitioners, led by Stefan Onome Okorodudu, claim to operate under “Concerned Lawyers in defence of the Nigeria Police and its officers”.

It is unclear if police authorities are looking into FIJ’s revelations about the facilities meant to provide safe and comfortable accommodation for travelling officers and men.

Fisayo Soyombo was a former editor at The Cable, he is best known, among other things, for being the Nigerian undercover journalist who spent five days in a police cell as a suspect and eight as an inmate in Ikoyi Prison to track corruption in Nigeria’s criminal justice system