Police Summon FIJ Board Chairperson Over ‘Cybercrime’ Allegation

The Nigeria Police Force has summoned the chairman of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) Board of Trustees, Bukky Shonibare, to Abuja to answer questions about “cybercrime”.

In a post via its X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, the foundation said the invitation might be connected to its five-week-long investigative focus on smuggling and the Nigeria Customs Service.

FIJ explained that the invitation, sent by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCC), was dated Thursday, March 21 but was only emailed to her on Saturday, March 23.

The letter reads: “This Center is investigating a case in which the need to obtain some clarifications from the Foundation for Investigative Journalism and Social Justice has become imperative.

“In furtherance of the Police Investigation and in observance of the principle of fair hearing, you are invited to interview the Director of the Center through the undersigned.”

FIJ said SP Ann Elunor from the NPF-NCC subsequently contacted Shonibare via WhatsApp to follow up on the letter.

The foundation added that Shonibare is to report at NPF-NCC’s office at Plot 625 Mission Road, Diplomatic Drive, Abuja.

According to FIJ, it expressed belief that the invitation was in relation to its five-week-long investigative focus on smuggling and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

Background Story

On Tuesday, February 20, FIJ released the trailer of the investigation — “Undercover as a Smuggler” — by ‘Fisayo Soyombo, its founder and editor-in-chief, and followed it up with a multimedia story on Wednesday, February 21 and a 16-minute documentary on Thursday, February 22.

Among many other things, FIJ’s story unveiled how smuggling is aided by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) officials, who take bribes from smugglers and then betray patrol teams by updating smugglers on their colleagues’ itineraries.

It also spotlighted the criminal business history of the southwest’s biggest smuggler Ibrahim Dende Egungbohun, whose allies in power allegedly include top government officials in the cross-border movement of goods, arms and ammunition.