The Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) condemns in the strongest terms the arrest and detention of Mrs Adenike Atanda and her nine-month-old baby by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force.
Mrs Atanda was detained for several hours on Monday at Owutu Police Station, Ikorodu, Lagos, in place of her husband, Mr Sodeeq Atanda, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
IPI Nigeria understands that police officers tracked Mrs Atanda and her infant to their neighbourhood and arrested them while Mr Atanda was not at home. Neither Mrs Atanda nor her nine-month-old child is a journalist, a suspect, or accused of any offence.
This arrest constitutes a clear and unlawful arrest by proxy, in violation of Section 7 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and Section 36 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020, both of which unequivocally prohibit the arrest of any person in place of a suspect.
Beyond the illegal arrest, Mrs Atanda was subjected to harassment and psychological pressure.
Officers coerced her into falsely telling her husband that their infant was gravely ill in order to lure him out, effectively using a nursing mother and her baby as bait. The child was subjected to needless trauma and distress.
Their only “offence” was their relationship to a journalist.
That this egregious violation of the law was carried out by officers attached to the IGP Monitoring Unit is particularly disturbing, coming barely weeks after IPI Nigeria listed the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, in its Book of Infamy for violations of press freedom.
Following that listing, the Inspector-General initiated engagement with IPI Nigeria and expressed commitment to improving police–media relations. He further mandated the IGP Monitoring Unit to engage with IPI Nigeria to address the growing pattern of harassment of journalists nationwide.
Ironically, the very unit designated for that engagement has now executed one of the most brazen violations of journalists’ rights witnessed in recent times.
In protest against this gross abuse of power, IPI Nigeria has suspended all engagements with the Nigeria Police Force until there is clear evidence of accountability, respect for the rule of law, and an end to hostility towards journalists.
Mrs Atanda and her baby were released only after Mr Atanda presented himself to the police. He was subsequently arrested, handcuffed, and detained, and was released only after the intervention of IPI Nigeria.
IPI Nigeria therefore demands the following:
– A public apology by the Nigeria Police Force to Mrs Adenike Atanda and her nine-month-old baby;
– Adequate compensation for the unlawful arrest, detention, and trauma inflicted on them;
– The immediate arrest, investigation, and prosecution of all officers who instigated and carried out this illegal action;
– The dismissal from service of those officers, as a deterrent to future abuses.
IPI Nigeria further insists that Mr Sodeeq Atanda be allowed to carry out his legitimate journalistic duties without intimidation or harassment.
The police must refrain from meddling in civil or commercial disputes properly within the jurisdiction of the courts and should advise complainants to seek redress through lawful judicial processes.
The persistent abuse of power by police officers thrives largely because acts of misconduct are rarely punished. Instead, officers who violate the law are often shielded and, in some cases, rewarded.
This culture of impunity incentivises further violations and continues to erode public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force.
IPI Nigeria observes with grave concern that indiscipline is too frequently tolerated in the Nigeria Police. Officers who have no business wearing the uniform continue to operate unchecked, worsening the already battered image of the police.
We therefore call on the Inspector-General of Police to act decisively by purging the Force of officers unfit to serve and by demonstrating, through concrete action, a genuine commitment to reform, accountability, and respect for press freedom.
