Nigerian investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo has reportedly been arrested and detained by the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for the past three days.

The arrest was confirmed by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) on its official page on Friday morning.

It is believed that Soyombo’s detention is related to his investigative work exposing corruption and smuggling activities allegedly aided by Nigerian Customs Services (NCS).

The FIJ has called for Soyombo’s immediate release, highlighting the increasing threats to press freedom in the country.

Known for his high-profile investigations into corruption, abuse of power, and human rights violations, Soyombo has faced numerous threats and harassment in the past.

The FIJ stated, “The 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt has been detaining our founder, Fisayo Soyombo, 3 days running. Journalism is not a crime.”

Earlier in November, Soyombo had released videos supporting his claims of smuggling involving Nigerian Customs Service officers. Soyombo had alleged that customs officers conspired with Adeyemi Habeeb Abdulganiy, a suspected multi-billionaire smuggler, to illegally import over 2,000 cars and bags of rice into Nigeria.

In a post on his social media, Soyombo stated, “All is set. Your men, working with Adeyemi Habeeb Abdulganiy, the multi-billionaire-smuggler better known as Abuga, are primed to pass more than 2,000 cars containing at least 65 bags of rice each from Bebe in the Benin Republic into Sango, Nigeria.”

Soyombo further revealed that some of the vehicles would drive against traffic to enter Sango, creating congestion. He also claimed that soldiers from the 192 battalion at Owode would patrol the route to prevent any resistance.

In response, the NCS National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, dismissed Soyombo’s allegations as “fictitious” and illogical, saying it was impossible for their personnel to be involved in such illegal activities.

Soyombo released additional video evidence to substantiate his claims, saying, “Since Maiwada considers my revelations ‘tales by moonlight,’ I am supplying two more video evidence of smuggling-ready rice cars merely awaiting final clearance from rogue Customs officers.”

He added, “If, after this, Maiwada still considers my revelations fictitious, I’m happy to share more videos with you. I’m just trying to be useful to you, so you can in turn be useful to Nigerians rather than your pockets.”