Investigative Journalist Fisayo Soyombo says he was conducting an undercover investigation when he was taken into custody by the Nigerian Army.

On Friday, the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) reported that Soyombo had been arrested and detained for three days by the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.

Afterwards, the army said Soyombo was arrested at an illegal oil bunkering site.

Later on Friday, FIJ confirmed that the journalist had been released.

Army releases Fisayo Soyombo

Why we detained Fisayo Soyombo – Army

Speaking in an interview with Arise News on Saturday, Soyombo described his experience and the challenges faced by journalists in Nigeria.

He accused the Nigerian Army of deliberately compromising his safety after being detained for three days in Port Harcourt while conducting an undercover investigation into illegal oil bunkering.

He said: “I will be honest, it is the first time I have genuinely felt my security compromised. I believe the army deliberately – the acting spokesman of the Nigerian army deliberately compromised my security by releasing that statement and linking me to oil bunkerers. I was in detention, I made no mention of oil bunkering, now you’ve gone to tell illegal bunkerers that ‘look, this guy was on your trail.’

“I am an investigative and undercover journalist. I was investigating illegal oil bunkering. It happened that someone in the security setup was offended that he didn’t get bribed because the illegal bunkerers would bribe people in security. One got annoyed and tipped off others.”

He clarified that he was not arrested with oil thieves but had approached the military personnel, thinking they were there to facilitate a settlement.

“There was no arrest, the Nigerian army did not arrest me. They spotted me, flashed their torch, and I came out and wanted to open a conversation. I didn’t show them my ID because the illegal bunkerers had said they had settled everyone and the guys who came were the ones that were not settled, and a conversation was going to settle them, so I just thought it was a settlement conversation and I came forward,” he added.

While admitting that he did not inform the Nigerian Army about his investigation due to mistrust, he said: “The real growls of the army were that, one, I didn’t carry them along. I won’t deny that I have low trust for Nigerian public institutions – I didn’t trust the army, I didn’t carry them along, but also known illegal oil bunkerers were bribing different people with various security formations and I would endanger my life by carrying them along if I didn’t know who was who.”

He revealed that after being detained in a military camp, he maintained his cover as an illegal oil bunkerer until he was taken to the Sixth Division headquarters.

“They all felt I was an illegal oil bunkerer, and I played along until they took me to 6th Div. And I thought from then I was speaking with people in offices who were investigating the case; that is when I said I was an undercover journalist and showed them proof,” Soyombo said.

Reflecting on his experience, Soyombo criticised the state of press freedom in Nigeria, especially concerning investigative journalism.

“Of course, the press is not free in a number of ways, and one of them is that, especially people in security, don’t want to hear the word ‘investigation’. Every encounter I have had with the police, the military, once I say ‘I was investigating’, something just changes in them. They don’t want the press to do any form of independent work,” he said.

He expressed concern about the broader implications of such actions for efforts to end illegal oil bunkering.

“My utmost concern now is my security has been compromised by the Nigerian army that should be interested in ending illegal oil bunkering and should have seen me as a partner,” Soyombo said.

The journalist emphasised that public pressure played a crucial role in securing his release.

“If it did not get to the media yesterday that I was in detention, I would still be there. I repeatedly asked them that I need to speak to my lawyer and they denied me and they instructed all soldiers around there that none of them must give me their phones.”