Investigative journalist David Hundeyin has spoken out following the Nigeria Police Force’s declaration naming him as an accomplice in the trial of whistleblower Isaac Tamunobifiri, widely known as PIDOM.
In an interview with News Central Television on Wednesday, Hundeyin attributed the police’s actions to his relentless truth-telling in an administration that views such actions as an affront. He also suggested that the move was part of an effort to involve him in a criminal investigation, discredit his international refugee status, and potentially place him on an Interpol notice list.
Hundeyin disclosed that in 2023, Nigeria’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA) made multiple attempts to abduct him while he was overseas due to his exposure of misconduct by top government officials. According to Hundeyin, these abduction attempts occurred in Ghana and Kenya before he relocated to the United Kingdom for safety.
“There were several attempts by the National Intelligence Agency to abduct me. They also tried to render me stateless. I even tried to change my country twice. There was an attempt to abduct me from Ghana; then I had to move to Kenya, and when they came for me in Kenya, I ran to the United Kingdom,” Hundeyin recounted. He emphasized that these actions were part of the price one pays for speaking the truth in an environment where it is seen as a threat to the regime.
When asked about his inclusion as an accomplice in PIDOM’s trial, Hundeyin explained that he had anticipated such a move, prompting him to go public with his story. He noted that suspicious activities, including attempts to hack his devices, led him to suspect a state security plot to implicate him in a criminal investigation aimed at undermining his international refugee status and targeting journalists and whistleblowers like PIDOM.
“As I suspected, they named me a suspect in an ongoing criminal investigation to create a narrative basis for possibly putting me on an Interpol notice list, making it more difficult for me to travel and giving the impression that they are closing in on me. As you know, getting hold of David Hundeyin is one of the most important security priorities of the Nigerian establishment, even as terrorists flaunt ransom demands on TikTok,” Hundeyin stated.
Regarding PIDOM’s condition, Hundeyin alleged that the whistleblower was sprayed with a toxic substance while in detention at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), resulting in severe breathing difficulties. “He cannot breathe properly; you can hear it in his voice. Clearly, something is wrong with him,” Hundeyin warned.
The accusations against Hundeyin and Michael Alade as accomplices to PIDOMNigeria follow PIDOM’s arrest and subsequent detention at the Kuje correctional facility in Abuja. PIDOM is facing charges of leaking classified documents, fraud, sedition, and tax evasion, among other allegations.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Nigeria Police Force spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi explained that PIDOM was apprehended following a petition from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Adejobi added that when operatives from the National Cybercrime Centre attempted to arrest PIDOM at his hotel, he resisted, locked himself in his room, and destroyed his phone before flushing it down the toilet.
PIDOM was arraigned on Tuesday on nine counts brought against him by the Inspector General of Police, including money laundering, cybercrime, and disseminating classified documents. One of the charges alleged that PIDOM used his X handle @Pidomnigeria to mobilize and solicit support from Nigerians to compel the Federal Government to act, using the hashtag #Endbadgovernanceinnigeria.
The trial continues as both sides present their cases, with Hundeyin maintaining his innocence and denouncing what he describes as a politically motivated attempt to silence him and other whistleblowers.
