The Nigeria Police Force has released Mrs Adenike Atanda, wife of a senior investigative reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), and her nine-month-old baby after their brief detention in the Owutu area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.
FIJ disclosed that Adenike and the infant were released on Monday evening, shortly after operatives arrested her husband, Sodeeq Atanda, a senior reporter with the organisation. He was also later freed.
According to the organisation, Adenike and her baby were initially taken to a police station in Owutu, where they were held for several hours.
Officers were said to have asked her to reach her husband by phone during the period.
In an account published by FIJ, Adenike narrated that she was directed to call Atanda and inform him that their child was ill and had been taken to hospital.
“When they realised my husband was no longer far from the house, the policemen drove me and my baby to a street not far from our home.
And when they saw him, they handcuffed him and took him away. That was when they released my baby and me,” she told FIJ.
FIJ said Atanda was immediately taken from the area to the Force Headquarters annex in Obalende, Lagos, where he was detained for several hours before his eventual release shortly before midnight.
The organisation linked the development to an earlier move to invite the journalist for questioning.
It stated that on November 26, a person who identified himself as “Omo Eleniyan” and claimed to be attached to the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters contacted Atanda via WhatsApp.
“I’m a police officer attached to the IGP Monitoring Unit, Lagos Annex.
An approved petition was referred to my department from the office of the Inspector-General of Police for further investigation, and your named has been mentioned and alleged.
That was why you have been invited, sir. Thanks for cooperation and understanding,” the message read.
FIJ said Atanda replied by providing the organisation’s official email address and requested that any formal invitation be forwarded through that channel.
However, the sender reportedly responded, “The invitation is for you, not for the organisation.”
When Atanda insisted that official communication should be routed through FIJ, the organisation said the% sender replied, “Alright, sir. No problem.”
FIJ added that there was no further communication until Monday evening, when Adenike and the couple’s infant were detained.
As of press time, the Lagos State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the circumstances surrounding the detention and release of the journalist’s wife and child.
In a response to a text message sent to the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, she said, “A reporter from FIJ called last night in this regard, and he said at FHQ, I am yet to get facts on this. I’m still trying to reach FHQ Annex.”