On December 22, 2025, police officers attached to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit, Lagos Annex, detained Mrs. Adenike Atanda, the wife of investigative journalist Sodeeq Atanda, along with their nine-month-old child in the Owutu area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.
According to reports, officers tracked the journalist to his neighbourhood but, upon failing to locate him, detained his wife during the operation. Mrs. Atanda was allegedly compelled to call her husband under the pretext that their infant was ill and required urgent hospital attention. When Sodeeq Atanda arrived at the designated location, he was handcuffed and transported to the Force Headquarters in Obalende, Lagos.
The journalist, a senior reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), was later released shortly before midnight the same day, alongside his wife and child. His arrest is reported to have been linked to an investigative report he authored concerning Adeyemi Awoyinfa, Chief Executive Officer of Legend Adex Immigration Consult. According to FIJ, the report examined allegations that Awoyinfa failed to refund £15,000 collected in November 2023 from a UK-based Nigerian for two certificates of sponsorship that were never delivered.
The incident triggered swift reactions from media organisations, civil society groups, and members of the public. FIJ founder and Editor-in-Chief Fisayo Soyombo confirmed the arrest and release on social media platform X.
The International Press Institute (IPI) also intervened, reportedly contacting police authorities regarding the detention. In response, Police Force spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin stated that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, was not initially aware of the arrest until it was brought to his attention by IPI representative Mojeed Musikilu. Hundeyin said he promptly informed the IGP, who expressed anger over the development and immediately directed that the journalist be released.
According to Hundeyin, the IGP ordered both the immediate release of Atanda and disciplinary action against the head of the implicated police unit. The spokesperson further stated that the IGP was particularly concerned that the incident occurred at a time when the Police Force had publicly committed to strengthening press freedom protections.
Under Nigerian law, arresting an individual in place of a suspect is expressly prohibited. Section 7 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and Section 36 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020 both provide that “a person shall not be arrested in place of a suspect.” The reported detention of Mrs. Atanda and her infant therefore raises serious concerns regarding compliance with statutory safeguards and professional policing standards.
The Media Foundation for West Africa has welcomed the Inspector General’s directive for the journalist’s release and disciplinary measures. However, the Foundation stresses that the use of relatives as leverage in law enforcement operations undermines constitutional protections, erodes public confidence in policing institutions, and constitutes a grave violation of press freedom principles. It urges that appropriate sanctions be transparently enforced and that adequate redress be provided to Mrs. Atanda and her child.
