It has been learned that the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered the detention of investigative journalist ‘Fisayo Soyombo at Force Headquarters in Abuja.

Soyombo, the founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, was held on Monday after accepting a police invitation, according to reports.

Soyombo was detained in connection with an investigative story published by his medium in August 2021 alleging that a Deputy Inspector General of Police, Joseph Egbunike, collaborated with other police chiefs to approve more than N1 billion for police transit camp projects in Benue, Bauchi, Plateau, Katsina, and Kano states.

However, Soyombo’s FIJ claimed that three years after a visit to the project sites, nothing or very little had been done.

Egbunike was a former Commissioner of Police in charge of Budget and Finance at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, according to the news site.

When the bogus projects were approved, Egbunike was in his old post as Commissioner of Police in charge of Budget and Finance at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, according to the news portal.

Egbunike, who is now a DIG, led the internal police investigation into suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, who was recently indicted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his alleged involvement in a $1.1 million Internet scam allegedly carried out by an Instagram influencer, Abbas Ramon, also known as Hushpuppi, and four others.

It was also learned that Egbunike hired some attorneys who petitioned the IGP to file a defamation case against the journalist.

Soyombo was then invited to the Force headquarters in Abuja by the IGP.

“I have just arrived at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, to honor an invitation from the Monitoring Unit of the Inspector General of Police. They say my ‘name and phone number featured in an investigation’ they are conducting,” the journalist posted on Facebook as he arrived at the Force headquarters on Monday.

“The decision to come was straightforward: I am a law-abiding citizen who has committed no crime unless journalism is one. If there is no update on this handle by dusk, it means I have been unjustly detained. I will be surrendering my devices now”

As of press time, Soyombo’s phone number was inaccessible.

Also, when a journalist revealed himself as a Punch reporter on Monday, the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, cut the phone line, making it impossible to reach him, according to The Punch.

As of the time of posting this article, the Force spokesman had not responded to a text message seeking comment on Soyombo’s imprisonment.