Following the arrest and detention of a journalist’s wife Mrs Adenike Atanda and their nine month old baby by operatives of the Nigerian Police Force, the national committee of the International Press Institute, Nigeria (IPI Nigeria), condemned the unlawful arrest strongest terms, demanded a public apology and adequate compensation for them.
IPI Nigeria noted that Mrs Atanda was detained for several hours on Monday, December 22, 2025 at Owutu Police Station, Ikoprodu, Lagos, in place of her husband, Mr Sodeeq Atanda, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
A statement jointly signed by Musikilu Mojeed and Tobi Soniyi, President and Legal Adviser respectively of IPI Nigeria, noted that beyond the illegal arrest, Mrs Atanda was subjected to harassment and psychological pressure.
IPI Nigeria emphasised that the arrest constitutes a clear and unlawful arrest by proxy, in violation of Section 7 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and Section 36 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020, both of which unequivocally prohibit the arrest of any person in place of a suspect.
IPI Nigeria particularly noted that the police officers tracked Mrs Atanda and her infant to their neighbourhood and arrested them while Mr Atanda was not at home, stressing that neither Mrs Atanda nor her nine month old child is a journalist, a suspect, or accused of any offence.
IPI further said that the police officers coerced Mrs Atanda into falsely telling her husband that their infant was gravely ill in order to lure him out, effectively using a nursing mother and her baby as bait.
The IPI statement read in parts; “The child was subjected to needless trauma and distress. Their only ‘offence’ was their relationship to a journalist.
“That this egregious violation of the law was carried out by officers attached to the IGP Monitoring Unit is particularly disturbing, coming barely weeks after IPI Nigeria listed the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, in its Book of Infamy for violations of press freedom.
“Following that listing, the Inspector-General initiated engagement with IPI Nigeria and expressed commitment to improving police–media relations. He further mandated the IGP Monitoring Unit to engage with IPI Nigeria to address the growing pattern of harassment of journalists nationwide.
