Oil Bunkering: Why I Didn’t Inform Army About My Investigative Assignment — Soyombo

The founder of the Foundation of Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Fisayo Soyombo has attributed lack of institutional confidence to reason he did not involve the Nigerian Army in the investigative report resulting in his detention on Wednesday.

Soyombo also clarified reports surrounding his detention by the Nigerian Army, stating that he was not arrested but voluntarily approached the soldiers at the illegal bunkering site where he was carrying out an investigating story.

The FIJ founder made this revelation during an appearance on Arise News TV’s ‘The Morning Show’, monitored on by our correspondent on Saturday.

“I think everyone aside from the Nigerian Army knows what happened,” Soyombo said. “I am an investigative journalist investigating oil bunkering, and because one of them was not tipped, they got angry and informed others.”

Detailing the encounter, he explained: “The Nigerian Army did not arrest me. They came, flashed their light, and I approached them to have a conversation. They didn’t arrest me, they didn’t chase me. I approached them. They didn’t get anyone because all the other guys fled into the bush, but I stayed because I knew I had nothing to hide.”

Soyombo suggested that the army’s grievances stemmed from his decision to exclude them from his investigation due to mistrust.
“I won’t deny that I have low trust in Nigerian public institutions. The real issue is that I didn’t take them along. But I had also known that illegal oil bunkerers were bribing different people in various security formations. I would endanger my life by carrying them along if I didn’t know who was who.”

Reflecting on a prior experience, Soyombo cited his 2023 undercover investigation into an orphanage accused of selling babies, during which he purchased a newborn for ₦2 million and handed the baby over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

However, he alleged that his attempts to follow up on the baby’s welfare were blocked. “NAPTIP shut the door on us. The former DG of NAPTIP, Fatima Waziri, has to answer the question: what happened to that baby? I wanted to keep up with the baby’s progress, but one day I got there, and they said I couldn’t see the baby. How do you expect someone like me to trust public institutions?”

During his three-day detention, Soyombo said a soldier stole his phones and called for accountability. “A soldier stole my two phones. The army has to fish out that soldier and punish him. You can’t arrest people and have your men stealing from them.”

Soyombo also questioned the professionalism of the military after discovering that details he shared with senior officers during interrogation had leaked.

“Was I not right not to carry the army along? How can you grill me at the 6th Division, and every single thing I told you, the oil bunkerers were telling me as soon as I got out? They made no mistake; they were on point,” he said.

LEADERSHIP recalls that Soyombo was arrested by the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. According to a statement by the FIJ, his detention began on Wednesday at what the military described as “an illegal oil bunkering site.”

The FIJ, however, dismissed the Army’s allegations, describing them as an attempt to misrepresent Soyombo’s fieldwork.

FIJ announced the release of its founder later on Friday on its official platform, stating, “We can confirm that our founder, @fisayosoyombo, has now been released by @HQNigerianArmy, following the intense media campaign you all mounted.”