Damilola Ayeni, the editor of the Nigerian-based Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), has been freed from detention by a Benin Republic court.
Ayeni regained his freedom on Friday after a hearing by the prosecutor of the court for the repression of economic offences and terrorism (CRIET) in the country.
The journalist was on a trip to Benin for the second leg of fieldwork on a Nigeria-Benin environmental journalism report when the Beninese authorities arrested him in Parakou, northern Benin, on August 31.
The Beninese police kept Ayeni incommunicado throughout his detention, claiming he was a jihadist.
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Ayeni was initially detained at the Commisseriat Central, Parakou Police Station before he was transferred to a holding facility in Cotonou on Tuesday.
The police kept him in detention but reached out to FIJ to demand 800,000 CFA (approximately N1.2 million) for his freedom.
Reacting to the development, FIJ said a combination of sustained media pressure, relentless work by the Nigerian Embassy in Benin, and legal representation facilitated by the foundation and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) brought about Ayeni’s release.
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FIJ said Ayeni has been handed over to the Nigerian authorities — although he would remain in Benin Republic for a little longer.
‘Fisayo Soyombo, the founder and editor-in-chief of FIJ, confirmed Ayeni’s release and wellbeing in a publication.
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