The clampdown on press freedom in Nigeria took a fresh turn on Tuesday as police arrested Nasir Hassan Yelwa, a journalist and member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), while he was covering a peaceful Maulid procession in Abuja.
According to eyewitnesses, Yelwa had been officially invited to cover the event, organized by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiites, alongside other Muslim worshippers marking the birthday of Prophet Muhammad.
However, around 2 p.m. in the Apo area, policemen picked him up shortly after the procession. Sources confirmed that he was taken to the Abattoir detention facility (the former SARS office), where he is currently being held.
This incident has sparked concern among media stakeholders, as it adds to a growing list of police actions against journalists in Nigeria.
In a related case, the Ekiti State Police Command has summoned Fisayo Soyombo, founder and editor-in-chief of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
FIJ revealed that the police invitation came just an hour after the release of one of its senior reporters, Sodeeq Atanda, who had been interrogated for nearly 11 hours on Tuesday. Atanda had earlier faced questioning on September 1 over allegations of “malicious misrepresentation.”
The fresh summons addressed to Soyombo was signed by Musa Hadi, Assistant Commissioner of Police, State Intelligence Department (SID). He is expected to appear at the Ekiti State Command Headquarters in Ado-Ekiti on September 15, 2025, in connection with allegations of conspiracy, criminal defamation, cyberbullying, and blackmail.
Sources suggest that the police action is connected to FIJ’s investigative reports exposing sexual misconduct allegations against Professor Abayomi Fasina, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE). Fasina, currently on leave — seen as a suspension by insiders — has been accused of harassing Folasade Adebayo, a director at the university.
The police letter to FIJ read in part:
“This office is investigating a case of conspiracy, criminal defamation, blackmail, and cyberbullying in which your name featured. You are requested to interview the Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, on September 15, 2025, at 12 noon.”
With these back-to-back incidents, concerns are mounting about the shrinking space for press freedom and investigative journalism in Nigeria.
