‘Keep Soyombo safe’ — Nigerians seek protection for journalist who exposed rot in prisons
Nigerian civil society leaders and activists have asked the government to ensure the safety of Fisayo Soyombo, the undercover journalist who exposed the rot in the Nigerian prison system in an investigative report.
The journalist spent two weeks in detention — five days in a police cell and eight as an inmate in Ikoyi Prison — to track corruption in Nigeria’s criminal justice system, beginning from the moment of arrest by the police to the point of release by the prison.
To experience the workings of the system in its raw state, Soyombo — adopting the pseudonym Ojo Olajumoke — feigned an offence for which he was arrested and detained in police custody, arraigned in court and eventually remanded in prison.
Nigerians on Twitter are demanding the protection of the journalist over the revelations of his investigation.
Enough is Enough (EiE), Chidi Odinkalu and Segun Awosanya, better known as Segalink, are among the citizens demanding the protection of Soyombo.
Twitter reactions from Nigerians.
According to information received, the personal safety of the investigative journalist, @fisayosoyombo may be under threat.
We urge the @NigeriaGov to guarantee his safety.#PressFreedom#KeepFisayoSafe#CashAnCarry pic.twitter.com/QeQC3gMaZDAdvertisement— EiE Nigeria (@EiENigeria) October 22, 2019
The ‘Honorable’ Minister of Interior @raufaregbesola should call the leadership of the Nigeria Correction Service ro order in this regard. The public perception of all uniformed officers in Nigeria is negative already and this must not be made worse. #KeepFisayoSafe 🚨
— SEGA L'éveilleur®🚨 (@segalink) October 22, 2019
Advertisement
I've know @fisayosoyombo for more than a decade. And this is the life he chose: One of bravery, justice, and truth. @ProfOsinbajo, you've called on journalists to do investigations and fight fake news, 'Fisayo did just that. Should arrest be his reward? #keepfisayosafe pic.twitter.com/W9UUng44R0
— Máyọwà Aláìnírònú Tijani (@OluwamayowaTJ) October 22, 2019
So for his #undercover work exposing #corruption in the #prisons, #Nigerian govt wants to arrest @fisayosoyombo & charge him for #Espionage? Shame on the govt. @CPJAfrica @ChidiOdinkalu @AbdulMahmud01 @gijn @gijnAfrica @simonkolawole #JournalismIsNotACrime
— DAYO AIYETAN (@dayoaiyetan) October 21, 2019
Advertisement
This Fisayo situation is boiling my blood! No journalist deserves punishment for doing their work #keepfisayosafe
Advertisement— AWAZI (@THEAWAZI) October 22, 2019
#NewAlert! Nigeria's investigative journalist @fisayosoyombo feels unsafe over plans to arrest him after exposing #corruption in the #police and #prisons in an UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATIVE story published @thecableng and @TheICIR #DontArrestFisayo #KeepFisayoSafe#CashAndCarryPrison
— Seyi Gesinde (@GhesheS) October 22, 2019
https://twitter.com/SEzekwesili/status/1186546707598848000?s=20
Someone goes undercover, exposes a rot, and the next logical reaction is to find him and teach him a lesson. Is this how to go forward? @fisayosoyombo should not be hiding for his life but is now having to because of credible threats. #journalismisnotacrime #keepFisayosafe
— Lolade Nwanze (@LoladeSowoolu) October 22, 2019
In #Nigeria the crime is in exposing the crime, not committing the crime.
Think Salkida, think Agba Jalingo, think Jafar Jafar. @fisayosoyombo "did wrong" by talking about the rot in our prisons. #keepFisayosafe #JournalismIsNotACrime
— Chxta (@Chxta) October 22, 2019
For this undercover investigation – Nigerian investigative Journalist, Fisayo is already receiving threats of arrests #JournalismIsNotACrime #KeepFisayoSafe https://t.co/V7FzvOCKuw
— Mercy (@AbangMercy) October 22, 2019
When Nigerian journalists go undercover, they end up with their lives endangered. We should be enraged about the decay in the prison system in Nigeria, instead we are faced with possible threats to Fisayo’s life. #KeepFisayoSafe
Cc @AmnestyNigeria @KadariaAhmed pic.twitter.com/wGivgcWye2— Ndi Kato (@YarKafanchan) October 22, 2019
They (CG especially) should learn from previous advocacies and take dressing like @PoliceNG and @nigimmigration when @SIAF_NG exposed their running issues within. This is not the time to venture further into criminality by seeking to incriminate a whistleblower. #KeepFisayoSafe
— SEGA L'éveilleur®🚨 (@segalink) October 22, 2019
Unfortunately, In Nigeria, it is a crime to expose a crime. #KeepFisayoSafe
— Da Mayor of Tweet City 🌎 (@iam_damayor) October 22, 2019
Dear @NigeriaGov,
It's of utmost importance to #keepfisayosafe and act on all the revelations in his investigations. That's all Nigerians wish and hope you'll do. Thank you.
cc: @raufaregbesola @PoliceNG @ProfOsinbajo @MBuhari
— Gafar (@gafartweets) October 22, 2019
One of Nigeria's finest investigative journalists @fisayosoyombo is currently on the run because his story has beamed sunlight into the cave of angry rats in the Nigerian justice system.
If you care about having a half decent country to live in, don't let them endanger Fisayo! pic.twitter.com/lhEelP9tPu
— David Hundeyin🔴 (@DavidHundeyin) October 22, 2019
He's our national treasure. A beacon of hope to the Nigerian people. #KeepFisayoSafe#KeepFisayoSafe#KeepFisayoSafe#KeepFisayoSafe#KeepFisayoSafe
— Daemii🐦 (@Dharamzy) October 22, 2019
#KeepFisayoSafe#Pray4Segalink#thankKikimordi
Doing Good in Nigeria is hard. @segalink@fisayosoyombo @kikimordi (and many more) deserve all the prayers, goodwill and practical assistance we can give.
— Onyeka Onyekpe (@onyekaonyekpe) October 22, 2019
In a meeting with @fisayosoyombo last week, he explained the mental and health challenges he had to pass through during the investigations. Such an effort should have been commended by the state and FG, but no, they are threatening him. #keepFisayosafe
— Victor Ejechi #StatiSense (@VictorEjechi) October 22, 2019
@raufaregbesola if we want to go by the name Correction Service from previous inhuman prison service system then, u must declare a state of emergency in our Criminal Justice System. U can't fix a criminal by asking criminal to watch over him #keepfisayosafe https://t.co/6d1Rd7h4x0
— Adebanjo Taiwo (@TaiwoSAdebanjo) October 22, 2019
What a system! A young man that should be getting awards and state recognitions is being hunted for exposing the @PoliceNG. For so many reasons I saw this coming. Just so you know, nothing must happen to @fisayosoyombo because #journalismisnotacrime #keepfisayosafe.
— Victor Ejechi #StatiSense (@VictorEjechi) October 22, 2019
I've always said that APC govt is just as corrupt as PDP was, or even military, for a simple fact- any real fight against corruption will start from the rotten Police system.@fisayosoyombo's expose & the witchhunt on him, rather than fixing the rot, justify this #keepfisayosafe
— Ayò-Bánkólé Akíntújoyè (@AyoBankole) October 22, 2019
Its sickening. The rots goes from top to the bottom.