Fisayo Soyombo, a Nigerian investigative journalist and the founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), has broken his silence following his recent detention by the Nigerian Army’s 6 Division over alleged involvement in illegal oil bunkering.
According to reports by the FIJ, Soyombo was detained by the Army in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, under suspicion of being linked to an illegal oil bunkering operation.
However, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations for the 6 Division, clarified in a statement that Soyombo was arrested along with other suspected oil thieves at the site.
After widespread public pressure, the Army released Soyombo on Friday night.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Soyombo thanked Nigerians for their support in securing his release. He said:
“I’m a free man today because of your social media engagements with #FreeFisayoNow and the publications/broadcasts by the traditional media. And I can prove it.
After my arrest at about 2 am on Wednesday, I was grilled by different levels of the Army until deep into the night. I didn’t return to my cell until at least 11 pm on Wednesday. My case was then forwarded to a superior office that was to interrogate me on Thursday.
Surprisingly, Thursday was uneventful; from morning until night, this office never sent for me. I soon learnt the Army would take ‘as long as it wanted’ to conduct their ‘investigation’ just to establish that I was indeed an investigative journalist.
To my utmost surprise, on Friday morning, at about 11 am or thereabouts, I was retrieved from my cell for transfer to the Military Intelligence Brigade (MIB). It was during the transfer that someone who ran into me asked to know my name, after which they said: ‘You’re the one; you’re in the news.’
Without your pressure, I’d still be in that cell by now, away from civilisation and held incommunicado. So, yes, my freedom is your freedom. This victory exists because of you, you and
you. Thank you!”
