PanNigerianNews 
The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has released ‘Fisayo Soyombo, Founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), on bail.
Soyombo flew to Abuja to speak with the NPF-NCCC on Wednesday morning after both parties agreed to a meeting.
“I have just voluntarily arrived at the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCC) in Abuja based on publicly available information that I am wanted. I’m here with FIJ lawyer Abimbola Ojenike,” Soyombo shared on his social media pages earlier.
Soyombo and FIJ lawyer Abimbola Ojenike were locked in a conversation with NPF-NCCC personnel that kept them for about eight hours.
FIJ’s founder was released on bail but he must return to the NPF-NCCC headquarters in Abuja for bi-weekly meetings.
“We arrived at the NPF-NCCC HQ a few minutes past 9 am and we left at exactly 4:58 pm,” Soyombo said on Wednesday.
“Even though Muyiwa Adejobi, the Force spokesman, had said that there were more than 15 petitions against me and FIJ, I came in without knowing what exactly I was here for. It ended up being about the Orelope Adefulire story.”
Soyombo had been outside Nigeria for a fellowship and other journalism engagements for the better part of 2024.
The NPF-NCCC grilled Bukky Shonibare, the chairman of FIJ’s Board of Trustees, at their Abuja office in March, only letting her go after making her promise to “produce” Soyombo.
Soyombo recently returned to Nigeria. The NPF-NCCC and Soyombo established contact, and they agreed on a date to meet.
“The whole conversation was for just one story — the Orelope Adefulire report,” Soyombo explained.
“It was for this story that Shonibare was grilled; for which the police abducted Daniel Ojukwu and kept him in unlawful detention for days. Now, I am out on bail and I am supposed to come back here every two weeks.”
Soyombo voluntarily walked into the NPF-NCCC Abuja office but he was freed on bail conditions.
The NPF-NCCC has invited Soyombo, Shonibare and Ojukwu to an interview with its director to answer questions about cybercrime. They all came out of the NPF-NCCC with conditions including bail or demands for another FIJ staff because of the same report.
