Investigative journalist and founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Fisayo Soyombo, has alleged that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in collaboration with the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the military, was planning to arrest him.
Soyombo disclosed this on Monday morning via his Facebook page, where he accused the agencies of targeting him over his investigative reporting exposing corruption.
In his post, Soyombo claimed that he had previously received warnings about threats to his life from Customs officers, but this was the first time they had considered arresting him.
“Good afternoon, @CustomsNG. Last night, I became aware of your ongoing plans to arrest me, working in concert with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Nigerian military,” he wrote.
He added, “Until now, all Customs officers tried to do was either bribe or kill me. Twice this year, I have been warned about threats by your men to either ‘take me down’ or ‘execute’ me. But an arrest? This is a first for Customs.”
Soyombo linked the alleged plot to his investigative reporting, particularly his recent ‘Good Morning Nigeria Customs’ tweets, which highlighted the agency’s alleged complicity in smuggling activities.
“This is being considered because of last week’s motion by the House of Representatives to probe the complicity of Customs in smuggling, following several months of my ‘Good Morning Nigeria Customs’ tweets,” he said.
“I am by this tweet holding you responsible for my safety. Should I go missing, Nigerians now know that I am with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS),” he concluded.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Customs Service was yet to respond to the allegations by the journalist.