Aregbesola praises journalist for undercover investigation in prison

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has given kudos to Fisayo Soyombo, an investigative journalist, who recently exposed the rot in the Nigerian prison establishment.

Soyombo had gone undercover to track corruption in the country's criminal justice system, which led him to spending two weeks in detention — five days in a police cell and eight days as an inmate in Ikoyi Prison.

Alleged plan to arrest investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo was uncovered. [Fisayo Soyombo/Facebook] Pulse Nigeria

Reacting to the investigation, Aregbesola commended Soyombo for the fantastic job he undertook.

The minister said, “If you are thanking the EU and all those world bodies; it will be an exercise in grand deceit if we don’t recognise a fantastic job undertaken by Soyombo,” he said.

“We must recognise the fact that it is in line with the education programme that we are here celebrating …that undercover journalist which TheCable online newspaper brought out…. And I must equally commend that organisation and whoever it was that did undercover because I see it as part of the entire circle.”

Meanwhile, a couple of days ago, Nigerians took to twitter to demand the protection of Soyombo, as indications emerged that he may be arrested for uncovering the criminal activities often times perpetrated by police and prison officials.