The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the immediate sanction of the head of a police team involved in the controversial arrest and detention of the wife and nine-month-old baby of Sodeeq Atanda, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
The police later cajoled the wife of Atanda (Adenike) and compelled her to call her husband under the pretence that their child was ill and needed urgent medical attention and as soon as soon as he appeared, he was arrested and handcuffed and taken away by officers from the IGP Monitoring Unit that had also detained Atanda’s wife and their nine-month-old baby at a location in Ikorodu, Lagos.
Atanda was eventually taken to the Force Headquarters in Obalende where he was detained.
FIJ founder and editor-in-chief, Fisayo Soyombo, who confirmed the arrest and subsequent release on X, said that the arrest stemmed from an investigative report by Atanda.
Atanda was later released before midnight on Monday along with his wife and nine-month-old baby, a development that sparked public outrage over police conduct and press freedom.
However, the Police high command through the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Benjamin Hundeyin, announced that the IGP Egbetokun was “miffed” upon learning of the arrest through the International Press Institute (IPI).
Hundeyin said; “I was with the IG last night when Mojeed Musikilu of the International Press Institute reached out to me about the arrest. I promptly informed the IGP, and he was miffed
“He directed that the head of the unit be contacted to release the journalist immediately. I updated Mojeed accordingly,” he said.
The spokesperson of the Nigeria police said that the IGP ordered the journalist’s immediate release and sanctioned the unit head.
According to Hundeyin; “The IGP was particularly angry that this came up at a time when the Police had pledged and are taking tangible steps to ensure press freedom.
“The IGP equally ordered that the head of that unit be sanctioned for his conduct. IGP Egbetokun does not want and would not condone any setback to our support for press freedom,” he stressed.
In a terse statement, the FIJ said the arrest Atanda followed a story on how Adeyemi Awoyinfa, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Legend Adex Immigration Consult, refused to refund £15,000 he collected in November 2023 from a UK-based Nigerian who wanted two certificates of sponsorship (CoS) for two of his family friends, after failing to deliver.
This was how IPI Nigeria expressed concern over the involvement of the Nigeria police in a civil matter that has to do with slander or libel.
