The Nigerian Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCC) has been detaining Dayo Aiyetan, the Executive Director of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), along with its reporter, Nurudeen Yahaya Akewushola, since their arrival on Tuesday, May 28, following an invitation by the police.
In a statement released late Tuesday, the ICIR expressed alarm over the prolonged detention of Aiyetan and Akewushola, noting that both, accompanied by the organization’s lawyers, have been unreachable since 12pm when they reported to the NPF-NCC in Abuja.
The ICIR suspects a sinister motive behind the police action.
They had initially reported that both journalists were responding to an invitation from the Cybercrime Center.
The police claim to be investigating a case of cyberstalking and defamation of character based on a petition submitted to the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigative Department. However, the details of the allegations remain undisclosed.
The invitation letter from the Cybercrime Centre, dated April 16 but not delivered to ICIR until three weeks later, summoned the ICIR managers and Akewushola to appear on April 24.
ICIR raised concerns about the disparity in dates and the lack of details regarding the petition prompting the investigation.
In a follow-up letter dated May 20, 2024, the NPF-NCCC addressed the date discrepancies but still did not provide specifics of the allegations.
The letter stated: “The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre is investigating a case of cyberstalking and defamation of character reported to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Area 10, Abuja, in which your presence is needed.”
The meeting was rescheduled to noon on May 28 after discussions between ICIR’s lawyers and the police.
Despite attending the meeting, Aiyetan, Akewushola, and the lawyers have been detained and not released as of 8:50pm Tuesday.
“The ICIR staff and lawyers went to the address stated in the NPF-NCC letters at the stipulated time, and they have been held in custody for over seven hours,” the organization stated.
The ICIR expressed concern about the allegations of cyberstalking, especially given recent amendments to the Cybercrime Act in February 2024.
ICIR’s Editor, Bamas Victoria, suggested that the detention might be an attempt by the police to unlawfully hold the journalists, despite the NPF-NCC’s letter describing the meeting as a “fact-finding invitation.”
The police inquiry could be related to an ICIR investigation linking former police officials to a dubious land deal.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana condemned the arrests, stating that detaining journalists on charges of cyberstalking and criminal intimidation is unlawful, particularly since the relevant section of the Cybercrime Act (Section 24) has been amended.
