Investigative journalist David Hundeyin has slammed the Nigerian government for focusing more on arresting him than tackling issues like terrorism, where extremists openly flaunt ransom money on social media platforms such as TikTok.
Speaking in an interview with News Central Television, Hundeyin shared his concerns about the Nigerian authorities’ efforts to link him to criminal activities.
The Nigerian police had previously accused him of being involved with Isaac Bristol and others in seditious activities, but did not specify the exact actions that constituted sedition.
Hundeyin revealed that this is not the first time the government has tried to target him. In 2023, he faced several attempts by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to abduct him from overseas.
These attempts reportedly occurred in Ghana and Kenya, prompting him to flee to the United Kingdom for safety.
“There were several attempts by the National Intelligence Agency to abduct me. They also tried to render me stateless. I even tried to change my country twice. There was an attempt to abduct me from Ghana, then I had to move to Kenya; and when they came for me in Kenya, I ran to the United Kingdom.
“This is part of the price that you have to pay when you decide to say the truth at the time it wasn’t fashionable to do so, especially a regime that sees truth-telling as an affront or threat to it,” he said.
He further discussed his suspicions about being declared an accomplice in PIDOM’s trial, citing several warning signs, such as attempts to hack his devices.
According to Hundeyin, the Nigerian government’s intent seems clear: capturing him is seen as a top security priority.
He contrasted this with the lack of action against terrorists who openly display their illegal gains, underscoring what he perceives as a skewed focus by the authorities.
“The attempts by those people to hack my devices, which led to me replacing them, made it clear to me that some things were going on that I didn’t want to be a party to. The educated guess that I had then was that this was probably a state security attempt to rope me into some criminal investigation to discredit my international refugee status and go after political opponent journalists and whistleblowers like myself and PIDOM. It is a thing Nigeria, and other countries are likely to do.
“And just like I guess, truth to form, they named me a suspect in an ongoing criminal investigation for the purpose of creating a narrative basis possibly to put me on an Interpol notice list which makes it more difficult for me to travel essentially to make the world feel like they are closing in on me. And as you know getting hold of David Hundeyin is one of the most important security priorities of the Nigerian establishment. It doesn’t matter that you have terrorists flaunting ransom on TikTok,” he added.
Hundeyin also touched on the current status of PIDOM, alleging that the suspect was sprayed with a toxic substance while in FCID detention, leading to severe respiratory issues. “He cannot breathe properly; you can hear it in his voice. Clearly, something is wrong with him.”
