A non-governmental organisation, the Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the police harassment of investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo.
Soyombo, the publisher of FIJ, has been the subject of Police investigation after exposing the Nigeria Customs Service in aiding smuggling.
The board of trustees chairwoman of FIJ, Bukky Shonibare, was last Tuesday grilled by a police team on the journalistic work of FIJ. The grilling ended with the investigators ordering Shonibare to produce Soyombo on a later date.
In a statement on its X handle, SERAP cautioned the Nigerian police against harassing Soyombo for simply doing his journalistic work.
The non-profit also urged President Tinubu to order the IGP of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to halt further harassment of the journalist.
The statement reads: “We urge President Tinubu to immediately direct the Inspector-General of Police to stop harassing and intimidating journalist Fisayo Soyombo simply for doing his job. The police have reportedly declared him apparently wanted to silence him.
“Authorities must immediately stop harassing Soyombo and members of his Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) and allow him and his group to carry out their legitimate work.
“The police must also stop harassing Bukky Shonibare of FIJ’s Board of Trustees.
“Freedom of expression is a fundamental right and journalism is NOT a crime.
“We’ll take appropriate legal action if the threat, harassment and intimidation of ‘Fisayo Soyombo and Bukky Shonibare are not immediately stopped.”
