The Nigerian Army has confirmed the arrest and detention of Fisayo Soyombo, an investigative journalist and founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) at an alleged illegal oil bunkering site in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In a statement on Friday, Acting Deputy Director of 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Danjuma John Danjuma stated, “Only recently, intelligence revealed the existence of a notorious gang of oil thieves noted for bursting pipelines and illegal connections for oil theft in the region.
“In a deliberate operation conducted, troops trailed the criminals to an illegal oil bunkering site. In a subsequent operation carried out, troops swooped on the site, where arrests were made, including one Fisayo Soyombo, who was also arrested at the scene.”
The statement noted that suspects, including Mr. Soyombo, were currently undergoing preliminary investigations to determine their level of involvement in the alleged criminal activities.
LEADERSHIP recalls that the FIJ earlier reported via its official X (formerly Twitter) account that its founder had been in military custody for three days without communication and had his devices seized.
“The 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt has been detaining our founder @fisayosoyombo [for] 3 days running,” the statement said.
FIJ also demanded that the Army preserve any evidence and allow the truth to come to light.
The incident has sparked a wave of public reactions and criticism, with many calling for Mr. Soyombo’s immediate release.
Reacting to the arrest, X user @OfficialEdoOsasB expressed frustration over the state of democracy in Nigeria, writing, “Nigeria is a Banana Republic filled with dictators. We’re not in a democracy. When Donald Trump called it a shithole country, y’all were crying.”
Lagos-based lawyer Ridwan Oke praised Mr. Soyombo’s investigative work, saying “up till this moment, nothing has been done to investigate the persons involved. He has done tons of work exposing evil in this country. The Nigerian Military has held him in custody for three days. He’s just a journalist trying to make this country work.”
Renowned feminist Chioma Agwuegbo decried the detention as a threat to civil liberties, “ cannot be a country where people are disappeared by security forces. How many missing people have turned up in one jail or the other for no reason? Is this normal? Speak up now o; we don’t know who will be next.”
Human rights activist Rinu Oduala questioned the rationale behind the detention, asking, “Why is the Nigerian Army detaining Fisayo Soyombo for God’s sake? What kind of country is this?”
Nigeria has long been considered a challenging environment for journalists.
In its 2023 Global Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Nigeria 123rd out of 180 countries. The report highlighted frequent attacks, arbitrary arrests, and a lack of accountability for crimes against journalists.
Civil society organisations, including Amnesty International and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) have also joined the call for the release of Mr. Soyombo.
In a follow-up statement, the Nigerian Army refuted allegations of targeting Mr. Soyombo due to his journalistic work, maintaining that his arrest was part of a broader operation to combat oil theft in the region.
“The Division will like to reassure the general public of its commitment and responsiveness in ensuring the activities of criminal gangs, particularly oil thieves, are drastically curbed in the region. This, it is hoped, will shore up oil and gas production in the country,” the statement read.
As of press time, attempts to reach Brigadier Onyema Nwachukwu, the Army spokesperson, for further comments have been unsuccessful.
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