Dalena Reporters l December 22, 2025
The Lagos State Police Command has come under intense public scrutiny after officers reportedly arrested the wife and nine-month-old baby of a senior investigative journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), raising alarm among press freedom advocates and civil society groups.
According to FIJ, Adenike Atanda — wife of FIJ Senior Reporter Sodeeq Atanda — along with their infant child, was arrested on Monday evening in Owutu, Ikorodu area of Lagos State after police traced the family to their neighbourhood. The organisation confirmed that neither Adenike nor the baby is a journalist, and as of the time of reporting the police have not publicly explained the basis or nature of any alleged offence against them.
In related accounts circulating on social media and by some news outlets, the arrest was allegedly used as a tactic to compel Atanda’s appearance with police, with reports that officers coerced Adenike to contact her husband under false pretexts and later handcuffed and detained Sodeeq Atanda at the Nigeria Police Force headquarters in Obalende, Lagos. Fij However, other accounts differ and the Lagos Police Command has not issued an official statement clarifying the circumstances or charges.
The incident has prompted criticism from media rights defenders and civil liberties advocates who view it as part of a wider pattern of intimidation against journalists in Nigeria — including earlier detentions and harassment documented by local and international watchdogs.
Press freedom organisations and FIJ have called for a transparent explanation, immediate release of family members, and an independent investigation into the conduct of the officers involved, warning that targeting the relatives of journalists could have a chilling effect on investigative reporting and constitutional freedoms.
Published by Dalena Reporters.