‘I was traumatised’ — journalist recounts three-day ordeal in police detention over land dispute story
The publisher of Media Room Hub, Azuka Ogujiuba has recounted how she spent three days in police custody in Abuja over a report on a land dispute.
At a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, Ogujiuba said she was detained at the Asokoro police station and kept without food throughout the period.
A former journalist with THISDAY newspaper, she explained that the ordeal began in July after receiving an invitation from the office of the inspector-general of police (IGP) regarding an alleged case of cyberbullying.
She said she was unable to attend on the initial date but later appeared on August 6 with her lawyer.
“At the police station, they (police officers) interrogated me. They said it was Adewale Oladapo (CEO of Oretol) that petitioned based on my report and that I was invited because of cyberbullying and defamation of character,” she said.
According to her, the operatives presented screenshots of a post published on Instagram by Media Room Hub as evidence. She explained that in April, her platform had published a court injunction on a land dispute involving Capital Gardens and Oretol Limited.
She added that despite other outlets publishing the same injunction, she was the only journalist targeted. After questioning, she was initially granted administrative bail.
The detention
Ogujiuba said two days later, operatives stormed her location in Abuja, seized her phone, and took her to Asokoro police station.
“They (police officers) came after me, manhandled me, and dragged my phone. I was wondering what was going on,” she said.
“The person I came to interview in Abuja thought they were kidnappers. They were not wearing uniforms. I escaped for my life.”
She said the officers pressed her to delete the Instagram post, but she explained that the account had already been suspended and she no longer had access.
“When they wanted to put me in the cell, I started begging them to allow me to call somebody in my family or my lawyer. They refused,” she said.
“When I wanted to use my phone to call, Ifeoma (a female police officer) came and snatched my phone from me.
“That is how I entered the cell. The cell was stinking and dirty. I was confused. They locked me up for three days without food.
“I was confused because I don’t know how the publication of a court injunction amounts to cyberbullying.”
Ogujiuba added that she was compelled to sign an apology and an undertaking to remove the post before being released on the third day.
She accused Adewale Oladapo, CEO of Oretol Limited, of using Josephine Ometere, a female police operative, and other officers to intimidate her over the land case.
“I need justice. I have been in and out of hospital since I left the police station in Abuja,” she said.
“I’m speaking out because a lot of my colleagues in the past have been victims of things like this in the past. I was traumatised due to the detention.”
The journalist confirmed that she has filed a fundamental human rights lawsuit against the police and the officers involved.