The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the immediate sanction of the head of a police unit implicated in the controversial arrest of Sodeeq Atanda, a senior reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism.
The directive followed public outcry over the detention of the journalist’s wife and nine-month-old child, allegedly used as bait to lure him.
The incident occurred on Monday when officers from the IGP Monitoring Unit reportedly detained Atanda’s wife Adenike, and their infant at a location in Ikorodu, Lagos.
According to FIJ, the police compelled Adenike to call her husband under the pretence that their child was ill and needed medical attention.
When Atanda showed up, he was handcuffed and taken to the Force Headquarters in Obalende.
FIJ founder and Editor-in-Chief, Fisayo Soyombo, confirmed the arrest and subsequent statement on X, stating that the arrest arose from an investigative report by Atanda.
Atanda was released shortly before midnight on Monday along with his family, sparking public outrage over police conduct and press freedom.