The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria, through its Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) Hub, has condemned the unlawful detention of Sodeeq Atanda, a senior reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), by the Ekiti State Police Command.
Atanda was arrested on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, in Ado-Ekiti, following a petition by Abayomi Fasina, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), who accused the journalist of cyberbullying, blackmail and criminal defamation.
According to information available to the IPC-SPJ Hub, Atanda was detained for more than eight hours at the headquarters of the Ekiti State Police Command on the orders of the Commissioner of Police, Joseph Eribo. During his detention, he was allegedly subjected to inhumane treatment, including being forced to walk barefoot within the premises, while also facing stringent bail conditions.
Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, described the incident as “an attempt to further stifle press freedom and intimidate journalists reporting issues of public interest.”
He added: “The Police should desist from being used by elites to assault, arrest and detain journalists. Instead, they should uphold the tenets of democracy.”
Meanwhile, the SPJ Hub also expressed concern over the continued harassment of Abdulaziz Aliyu, a reporter with Waraka Online TV, by the Kano State Police Command.
Aliyu, according to Yakubu Salisu, Chairman of the Association of Kano Online Journalists (ASKOJ), has faced repeated intimidation and was recently detained over a story he published some months ago.
The SPJ Hub stressed that security agencies must adopt lawful and transparent processes when addressing grievances against journalists rather than resorting to intimidation and arbitrary arrests.
