‘You Proved Nigerians Are Worth Fighting For’ — Fisayo Soyombo After Army Detention
2 years ago 2 min read
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Founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Fisayo Soyombo, has expressed appreciation for the massive media campaign that led to his release from Nigerian Army detention.
Fisayo, on Saturday, penned his appreciation via his X (formerly Twitter) handle where he confirmed his incarceration for three days without access to his phones.
The post read, “‘Nigerians are not worth fighting for.’ I hear that now and then, and I’ve always disbelieved it.
“Yesterday, you proved me right. You all are the reason my detention by HQ Nigerian Army lasted ‘only’ three days.
“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.”
On Friday, FIJ revealed that the Army in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, arrested its founder on Tuesday.
The report sparked media outrage as Nigerians and other stakeholders began an online campaign demanding his release.
The Army, in reality response, claimed that Soyombo was arrested at an undisclosed illegal oil bunkering site, alongside suspected oil thieves.
The Army said he was being investigated and promised to uphold his human rights during the process.
However, speaking about his experience while in detention, Soyombo said, “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.’”
He added, “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!”
