"They targeted my phone, pounced on me, and manhandled me. If you saw the way I was being followed around the office with a gun, you would think I was a terrorist."
A Lagos-based journalist and publisher of Media Room Hub, Azuka Ogujiuba, has accused the Nigeria Police of unlawful detention, harassment and violation of her human rights over allegations of cyberbullying and defamation.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Ikeja, Lagos, Ms Ogujiuba, a former ThisDay reporter, recounted how she was detained in a police cell in Abuja for three days without food, a situation which, she said, affected her health.
She explained that her ordeal began after she published a court injunction relating to a land dispute involving real estate developer Kennedy Okonkwo, through his company, Capital Gardens Limited.
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She said: "Mr Okonkwo filed a suit against Adewale 'Biggie' Oladapo's Oretol Nigeria Limited at a Lagos High Court, alleging breach of contract on land at Hampton Island, Osapa, Lekki.
"All I did was publish the injunction stopping Mr Oladapo and his company from interfering with roughly four hectares of the disputed land, pending the substantive case, just like other media outlets did."
However, she maintained that her publication was deliberately singled out for reprisals.
Police invitation
According to her, this development led to officers of the Nigerian Police Force inviting her to the Asokoro Division Headquarters in Abuja on 6 August.
She said she honoured the invitation with her lawyer but was whisked away without a warrant, "like a criminal," after being tracked for days.
Ms Ogujiuba added that although she was initially granted bail following interrogation and instructed to return two weeks later, she was subsequently ambushed in Abuja by policemen "in a gangster-like manner" while attending a paid event.
"I was at a scheduled interview when I started receiving calls from the officer, insisting that the petitioner wanted to see me. I reminded him that I had bail and promised to come after work. But while leaving the office, we suddenly heard commotion outside, and since they were not in uniform, we thought they were kidnappers.
"They targeted my phone, pounced on me, and manhandled me. If you saw the way I was being followed around the office with a gun, you would think I was a terrorist.
They were unnecessarily hostile. I asked to see their boss, but they refused. When I tried to call my lawyer and family, they came aggressively at me and snatched my phone", she said.
Maltreatment
Ms Ogujiuba further alleged that she was detained and maltreated by some police officers, and her address was released to the petitioner and his lawyer.
The journalist revealed that she was coerced into signing an apology letter during her detention, and the letter was circulated across blogs to discredit her earlier publication.
"They were telling me what to write. One of the officers made me undertake that the letter was not done under duress. I had no options when I saw a gun facing me while under their custody", she said.
Ms Ogujiuba emphasised that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, did not know her ordeal, insisting that the officers acted beyond their authority.
She pointed out that the IGP had repeatedly cautioned police personnel against interfering in commercial disputes and civil matters, stressing that her experience amounted to a clear breach of that directive.
"The IGP had reminded officers that the police have no jurisdiction over purely civil matters unless there is an underlying criminal element, and even in such cases, investigations must be overseen by the State Commissioners of Police, who will be held accountable for the process and outcome."
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Meanwhile, international press watchdogs, including the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria, condemned the incident.
The IPI voiced concern over Ms Ogujiuba's treatment, warning that such acts of harassment threaten press freedom and weaken public confidence in law enforcement institutions.
As of press time, Mr Oladapo could not be reached for comment.
Calls to his mobile phone did not connect, as the line remained switched off, and he has yet to respond to messages sent to him.
Also, this newspaper reached the police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, but he neither took the calls nor responded to messages sent to him.
However, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, answered her call and promised to provide feedback after enquiring about the matter.
She has yet to respond.
She said, "I'll call the DPO of Asokoro Division Headquarters now to find out, and I'll get back to you."
