Nigerian Investigative Journalist, Feyisayo Soyombo who was arrested and detained by the Nigerian Army ‘in linkage with oil bunkering in Port Harcourt,’ has regained freedom.
Recall Soyombo was allegedly arrested over his investigation into the Nigerian Customs activities at the Border where he exposed a syndicate that illegally moved 130,000 bags of rice into country from Bebe, Benin to Sango, presenting the customs with overwhelming evidences on Wednesday.
Nigerians and other journalists alike had called the Army out over the purported arrest of the journalist saying that they don’t have any right to arrest and detain him, demanding his immediate release.
However, the 6 Division Army expressed concern through its Public Relations Officer, Acting Deputy Director, Lieutenant colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma over the narrative circulating on social media, insisting that it was false and thereby releasing a statement on Friday afternoon.
Part of the press statement read: “While the Division does not typically engage with the purveyors of falsehoods, it is necessary to set the record straight. As part of its intensified operations against illegal oil bunkering, the 6 Division Nigerian Army has recorded significant successes.
“Recent intelligence uncovered the activities of a notorious gang involved in pipeline vandalism and illegal oil connections in the region. In a carefully planned operation, troops tracked the suspects to an illegal oil bunkering site.
“During the operation, multiple arrests were made, including that of Mr Fisayo Soyombo, who was found at the scene. The suspects, including Mr Soyombo, are currently undergoing preliminary investigations to determine their level of involvement in the illegal activities.
“His arrest is directly linked to the ongoing anti-oil theft operations in the region, and any claims suggesting otherwise are baseless. The Division strongly urges media outlets to verify the accuracy of their reports before disseminating information to the public.”
Contrary to the Army statement, the journalist in a post on Saturday revealed that he was released because Nigerians made use of the power of the social media forcing the Army to release him when there are no incriminating evidence.
Soyombo revealed that he was grilled tirelessly by the Army wanting to know if he indeed he was a journalist and was left in a cell unattended to after a while.
His appreciate post read; “Nigerians are not worth fighting for.” I hear that every now and then, and I’ve always disbelieved it. Yesterday, you proved me right. You all are the reason my detention by @HQNigerianArmy 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.
“After my arrest at about 2am 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 11pm 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 11am 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.” He acknowledged.
By; Adeoye Olorunseun Elizabeth
adeoye.o@thesubstancenews.com
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