IGP asks court to issue arrest warrant against Fisayo Soyombo over reports on presidential aide
IGP asks court to issue arrest warrant against Fisayo Soyombo over reports on presidential aide
The inspector-general of police (IGP) has asked the court to issue a bench warrant against Fisayo Soyombo, founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), over a case pertaining to reports published about Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, senior special assistant to the president on sustainable development goals (SSAP-SDGs).
The IGP, in 2024, filed a 12-count charge bordering on alleged cyberbullying and criminal defamation against Soyombo and Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with FIJ.
The charges were filed at the federal high court in Abuja following a petition by Orelope-Adefulire.
During resumption of court proceedings on Tuesday, the police prosecutor informed the court that Soyombo — the second defendant in the case — was at large and sought a bench warrant for his arrest.
Joyce Abdulmalik, the trial judge, rejected the request, saying Soyombo had never been brought before it and that it could not issue a bench warrant to compel his appearance.
The prosecution also applied for Ojukwu’s remand after the charges were read to him.
Meanwhile, Ojukwu’s counsel told the court of the pending bail application
But the presiding judge declined to hear it, adding that it was filed on Monday and was not yet ripe for hearing.
Abdulmalik ordered that the FIJ journalist be remanded at the Kuje correctional centre pending the hearing of his bail application, which was adjourned until December 1, 2026.
Kunle Lawal, Tolulope Osho, Grace Baiyeshea and Marvelous Orji appeared for the prosecution, while Atanda Kayode, Ayo Oluseye, Olaoluwa Ariyo and MBI Amosun represented Ojukwu.
‘I’M NOT AT LARGE’
Reacting to what transpired in court, Soyombo said he was shocked to discover that the defence counsel said he is currently at large.
The investigative journalist said nobody needs a bench warrant to produce him in court.
“My track record speaks for itself: no Nigerian government agency or anyone who has filed a court suit against me has ever needed extreme measures to get me. My email address is public and is fisayo@fij.ng,” he said.
Soyombo said he will be in court on December 1 if he is served the court papers.
The journalist dismissed claims of difficulty in serving him court documents, adding that he had attended public events in recent weeks.
“After I released my latest investigation, ‘Europe through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea’, I granted physical interviews at multiple media outfits in Lagos and Abuja and they were all publicised,” Soyombo said.
“I held an Exhibition Alliance Française de Lagos for three straight days. There was repeated publicity about it for nearly a month before it was held, and in the days before it, I repeatedly publicly announced that this was where to find me. Anyone genuinely seeking to physically serve me a court process would have come there.”
THE CHARGE SHEET
The 12-count charge accuses Ojukwu and Soyombo of cyberstalking and criminal defamation over reports published on FIJ’s website between 2023 and 2024.
According to the charge sheet, the prosecution alleged that the publications exposed Orelope-Adefulire to fear of death, violence or bodily harm.
Some of the reports questioned the expenditure of N147.5 million by the office of the SSAP-SDGs on the construction of classrooms and a skills acquisition centre at Ajeromi Primary School in Lagos.
One of the publications, titled ‘Special Report: 2 Weeks Before End of Buhari’s Tenure, Special Assistant, Adefulire Paid a Restaurant N147.1m to Build Classrooms in Lagos. A Lot Was Amiss.
Another report, published on December 3, 2023, was titled ‘How Orelope Adefulire’s OSSAP-SDGs Paid N47.5m for Shady Contract on Amosun’s Request’.
The charge sheet also referenced a November 9, 2023 report titled ‘Flashback: How EFCC made Orelope-Adefulire’s SDGs Forfeit N241m Instead of Billions’.
A January 21, 2024 report titled ‘One Week After OSSAP-SDGs Built Classroom Blocks in Amosun’s District, Solar Panels Stop Working’ was also listed among the publications.
In the reports, FIJ questioned the execution of projects funded by the SSAP-SDGs office, including the construction of classroom blocks and the installation of solar panels.
FIJ had reported that its visit to Ajeromi Primary School in October 2023 revealed a dilapidated and understaffed facility, with no visible evidence of the reported construction work. The organisation also said a mosque stood on the site where the school should have been.
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