Sodiq Atanda, a Senior Reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), was detained by the Ekiti State Police Command in Nigeria on September 9, 2025. He had honoured a police invitation at the State Intelligence Department of the Command in Ado-Ekiti, following a petition filed by Abayomi Sunday Fasina, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE).
Vice Chancellor Fasina accused Atanda and FIJ of cyberbullying, blackmail, and criminal defamation in connection with investigative reports on allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against him.
Despite honouring the invitation in the company of two lawyers, Atanda was prevented from leaving and detained on the orders of Commissioner of Police Joseph Eribo. He was held for 11 hours, during which investigators pressed him to disclose his sources, an unethical demand he resisted. Atanda was eventually released late in the evening. The Police Commissioner later claimed he did not know Atanda was a journalist.
The MFWA finds the detention of Atanda deeply troubling as it constitutes an attempt to intimidate and criminalise investigative journalism. Compelling a journalist to reveal sources also violates professional ethics and undermines press freedom. We urge the Nigerian Police to respect constitutional guarantees of press freedom.
