Police Arrest FIJ Journalist After Allegedly Using Wife and Infant as Bait

In a shocking development, the Lagos police reportedly arrested Sodeeq Atanda, a journalist working with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), after allegedly detaining his wife and nine-month-old child to lure him out.

According to reports, officers attached to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit, Lagos Annex, carried out the arrest on Monday. The incident has raised serious concerns about police conduct and press freedom in Nigeria.

Confirmation from FIJ

FIJ’s founder and editor-in-chief, Fisayo Soyombo, confirmed the arrest to LMSINT MEDIA on Monday evening. He explained that the wife and infant were released, while Mr. Atanda was detained and handcuffed.

“They released the wife and the child and arrested Sodeeq. They handcuffed him. The wife confirmed this to me at 8:24 p.m.,” Soyombo stated.

Alleged Tactics Used by Police

According to FIJ reports, the police first apprehended Mr. Atanda’s wife and infant at their residence and held them for several hours at the Owutu Police Station in Ikorodu, Lagos. During this period, the wife was reportedly coerced into calling her husband, falsely claiming that their child was ill and had been hospitalized.

The officers allegedly then transported her and the baby to a nearby street to intercept Mr. Atanda.

“When they realised my husband was no longer far from the house, the policemen drove me and my baby to a street not far from our home,” the wife recounted. “And when they saw him, they handcuffed him and took him away. That was when they released my baby and me.”

This incident has sparked outrage among journalists, human rights activists, and press freedom organizations, who argue that such tactics violate fundamental rights and could intimidate investigative reporters.