Journalist shares his experience in Police custody

Pulse: Do you think there is press freedom in Nigeria?

Ogundipe: The issue of press freedom is being forced down the throat of those in the position of authority through the constitution that guarantees that and the Freedom of Information (FIO) law which has already been passed. The resilience of Nigerians as regards to the knowledge about their rights. It’s on the basis of these that we have a semblance of press freedom. But, you are still being chased and pursued because nobody wants to pick the paper in the morning and see an embarrassing story about them. We are here to do our work because this country is a mess. Truth is those in authority do not want press freedom. It is only being forced down their throats. Good thing is, press freedom has come to stay.

Tell us a little about your experience.

They (Police) thought that it would be difficult to get me. That is to tell you how watery the inner workings of the Police are. They were looking for me. They had an initial surveillance, tapped my phone calls, block my bank accounts… Apparently, they’ve been able to identify my colleague, Azeezat. All that wasn’t necessary. All they would have done was to come to the office rather than going through the strenuous avenue to get me. When I was called and I got there I didn’t anticipate being detained. I was so bold to be there because the call was about me talking to a suspect involved in a kidnap case or something. On getting there, they changed the story. They were shameless and brazen about tapping my phone, detaining me without any court order.

I was interrogated by the Police Commissioner who wanted to know the source of my story. It’s preposterous. It’s repugnant. You have to question how he rose to that position because he should know that he would be putting the reporter at risk. They did not say anything about the accuracy of my story. They were only concerned about my source and how I got the documents. They also complained about some other stories that I had written. But, primarily, about this story. Every question had to be about me revealing my source, which I refused to do. When they saw that I won’t bulge, they decided to detain me. Mind you, while we were there that they discussed procuring a court order to detain me.

ALSO READ: Premium Times journalist granted bail, released from Police detention

Interestingly, the next day, the commissioner came to ask me thinking that after what I may have seen overnight, I would reveal my source. I did not. He ordered me to be taken back to custody which they did. When they informed me that I would be arraigned in court, I thought it was a joke. I felt my lawyer from the office would come to inform me. There was none. The prosecutor said he would let me make a call while we got to the court. I wondered why not before we get to court? We got to court and I was summarily arraigned after spending about two hours outside while the prosecutor was inside with the Magistrate that was supposed to sit on my arraignment. I wonder what exactly they were discussing. It is ridiculous. We got in and the prosecutor read the charges and I pleaded not guilty for the charges of stealing documents and so on. I had to raise my voice that I’m a journalist with Premium Times and I did not steal any document. The prosecutor did not disclose my identity to the Magistrate. The Magistrate asked that I should be allowed to leave the court. Shortly, the prosecutor gave me the phone to make a call. I called MusilikuMojeed, my editor-in-chief. Afterwards, I was taken back into detention. The Magistrate asked that I be detained for five more days. Meaning, I would be in detention till Monday.

I was surprised on Friday when I was informed that I was going to court and would be granted bail. I was elated.

Those nights in detention, what were some of the thoughts on your mind?

To be honest, I was a bit afraid for my personal safety. In the sense that, I was in the custody of the IG who wants certain information from me which I refused to give. I was afraid that he might be too desperate to take some desperate measures. Which did not happen. I experienced no physical torture, whatsoever, rather than psychological, loss of freedom and the discomfort.

The condition is really bad in there. Temperature should be around 40-41 degrees Celsius with 24 men in a small 12x12 room. It was really messy. But, the fact that I knew that in a democracy, there was no way they can take this matter to any court and win made me feel a little better.

Are there attempts to gag you since your release?

Prior to me arrest, there were attempts but I just try to report to my editors. Since my release, they have been quiet. Top officers were sympathetic to my course. As an investigative journalist, you should be cautious about what you do. It’s not just in Nigeria. These things happen across the world. Journalists are killed, their laptops bugged and so on. We just need to be careful. Though they won’t say it, we should know.

What do you think journalists like you can do to protect themselves in this era?

For what we do at Premium Times, just don’t get your hands dirty. Just do your job and make sure you have the latest update on anti-virus on your computer and smartphones. Keep your conversations away from open lines. Pray and believe in your faith. Physically, it is difficult to hide if the State is after you. But, if you are a journalist who don’t want to rock the boat, for the most part, they won’t really chase you.

What advice do you have for journalists who look up to you?

I would advise them strongly to know that journalism is a profession of service. If you want to make money, you may focus on other aspect of journalism like PR. But for hard-hitting journalism. It could be really frustrating because not only would you not make money, everybody will still hate you. Know that you will be offending people and of course, they will get angry. As you come in, hold your head high and remain focused. It’s about service and not something you do because you want to be loved or courted. Courting you is a way of compromising you. For the most part, try and be an independent person. Don’t come in with the intention of making money. Although, it can be rewarding in the sense that journalism is evidence-based. Whatever you do is out there for everyone to see and you can be judged on the bases of what you do. Journalists write for the record; for history. Journalists should realize that they are playing a critical role in contemporary history. I will also advice that they try to make a name for themselves for the purpose of service and not personal aggrandizement because it is going to be very tough.

For tapping your phone, detaining you, freezing your bank accounts and so on. Are you taking any legal action against the Police?

The management is likely to take legal actions. I also understand that there are international organisations who have made contacts with the management on this matter. We are getting huge support on that. Charges will be filed not just for the harassment but on the tapping of my lines, restrictions placed on my bank accounts and so on. I must say that the management of Premium Times has helped me get over some of the psychological trauma i experienced while I was in detention.