The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Sunday, claimed that the Foundation for Investigative Journalism has more than 15 pending cases with the police.
The Assistant Commissioner of Polic e further claimed that the FIJ “doesn’t honour police invitations”.
Adejobi, tweeting as @Princemoye1, stated this in a tweet on Sunday while responding to questions surrounding how a journalist with FIJ, Daniel Ojukwu, was abducted and detained by the police recently.
Ojukwu was abducted by men of the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police based on “orders from above.”
He was then taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Lagos State, where he was reportedly accused of violating the 2015 Cybercrime Act, and then transferred to the Nigeria Police Force – National Cybercrime Centre, in Abuja on Sunday, May 5, 2024.
Ojukwu was released last Friday following a protest held at the Force Headquarters in Abuja the previous day.
However, Adejobi, in a statement on Friday, claimed that Ojukwu’s arrest and investigation by the police were justifiable under the law.
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Meanwhile, a lawyer, Ridwan Oke, tweeting as @Ridwanullahii, engaged the FPRO in a series of tweets after he (Adejobi) had justified Ojukwu’s arrest.
Oke wrote: “You got a petition against a journalist who had written about a potential mismanagement of public funds. You never bothered to investigate the mismanagement of public funds that was alleged but you swung into action and proceeded to arrest the journalist who had written the investigative report.
“You didn’t bother to invite the said journalist to see whether he would honour your invite as a respected citizen. You went on a military-era style and double-crossed him.”
The lawyer lamented that Ojukwu would have still been declared a “missing person” had he not been found.
Oke added: “You didn’t stop at that, you collected his phone, threw him inside a cell, and kept him from making contact with the outside world. If he was not lucky to be found in your custody, he would still be a ‘missing person’ today. You put his family, employers and friends into panic mode when you could have respected his rights.
“All of these were not addressed in your report nor the officers held accountable but yet you want Nigerians to believe that the Nigeria Police Force did everything right in this case when a journalist suffered these just for doing an investigative report towards exposing mismanagement of public funds?”
Responding, Adejobi tweeted: “Be reminded also that FIJ has more than 15 cases pending, and they don’t honour invitations to the best of my knowledge. So there is no need for the police to wait, but act as stipulated by the law.
“We have done the right thing in the matter, and we will still continue to investigate and prosecute the suspect who is on bail as and when due. No sentiment in law.”
The police spokesman further stressed the justification of the police to arrest the said journalist, saying: “There is no law that the police must invite while investigating a criminal case.
“The law instructs the police to arrest any criminal suspect, not to invite. So, the invitation is at the discretion of the IPO, depending on the circumstances, not an obligation.”
On the reason for seizing Ojukwu’s phone, Adejobi stated: “The allegation is basically on alleged wrongful publication and cyber-related crime, suspected to have been committed with his phones and electronic gadgets, which became exhibits at that instance. So seizing and marking his gadgets exhibit was not wrong. I am sure they must have been released to him on bond. It’s allowed.”
He added that the police is “investigating the petition and the issues raised in the said publication in the interest of the public. FIJ is to tender relevant documents and evidence in this regard because the complainant has tendered relevant documents. Our laws are sacrosanct and enforceable.”
When contacted on Sunday, FIJ’s founder, Fisayo Soyombo, refuted Adejobi’s claims.
Soyombo said: “Muyiwa Adejobi saying ‘they don’t honour invitations to the best of my knowledge’ is blatant untruth. One sentence, two false claims. First of all, he claims FIJ does not honour invitations, but we have honoured every single invitation we have received.
“In 2021, the police invited our board members, and one of them, Abimbola Ojenike, honoured the invitation on behalf of everyone. The same year, the police invited two or three of FIJ’s editorial staff and I honoured it, being the founder/editor-in-chief. Unless the police then wants to lock up all of FIJ’s staff and BoT members, then Adejobi cannot say we do not honour police invitations.
“In my case, I am aware through secondary sources that the police want to see me, but the police have not contacted me to invite me. Trust me, if the police contact me to invite me, I will give them a probable date when I’ll honour the invitation. They have my email and phone number and they have said it themselves; they have invited me before and I honoured it, so if they really want to invite me, they know what to do.
“However, you and I know, based on Adejobi’s comments and their treatment of Daniel Ojukwu, that they’d rather abduct than invite me.”
Soyombo recalled Adejobi’s interview on the Channels Television programme: “Politics Today,” where the FPRO said: “If he (Soyombo) is around, they must have sent an invitation letter to him. He would honour it. I know him; I know he would honour it. But if he’s not around, he would tell them ‘I’m not around.’ I’ll get across to him.’ There’s no need for us to be declaring him wanted. I’m sure they are communicating with him.”