Police detained me for 8 days, says wife of journalist charged with ‘insulting’ Lai

Dorcas Jolayemi, wife of the broadcaster detained for criticising Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says the police kept her in custody for eight days.

Rotimi Jolayemi, her husband, had recorded an eight-minute audio critical of the minister and released it via WhatsApp. After spending weeks in detention, the police charged him with “causing annoyance” and “insult” to the minister.

In an interview with The PUNCH, Dorcas said the police played a recording of a phone conversation she had with her husband where she asked him to flee.

Jolayemi’s wife said she asked her husband to flee because she wanted him to be safe, and that the head of the police division called her a “stupid woman” because of that.

She said the police told her that it was the minister that ordered her husband’s arrest.

“They said they wanted to arrest my husband and he fled to Maro in Kwara State. They said I was the one who advised him to run away and switch off his phone. They played a recording of my phone conversation with my husband,” she said.

“Apparently, they had bugged my phone and that of my husband. I admitted that, indeed, I told my husband to run away, but it wasn’t a crime because I didn’t harbour him. I only asked him not to come home, which is what a typical wife would do.

“I heard the police wanted to arrest him and I didn’t know the reason why they wanted to arrest him. I told him to run away because I wanted him to be safe. They said for that, I would pay for it. I was brought before their boss and the man insulted me, calling me a stupid woman.

“He said I shouldn’t have advised my husband to run away. The man said I would pay for it and they took my statement. I was there from April 29 to May 6. They said it was Lai Mohammed that ordered them to arrest him.”

Dorcas said her detention was “horrible”, and that she got released when her husband presented himself to the police — a week later.

“It was my older sister that was bringing food to me. I wasn’t allowed to communicate with anybody. They didn’t let me speak with my son. I slept on the corridor of the toilet,” she said.

“When my husband finally presented himself a week later, we were released. He came with a lawyer. So we signed some documents.”

The minister is yet to make a statement on the matter.