FIJ Reporter Emmanuel Uti Released After Detention Over ‘Fraud’ Report

Emmanuel Uti, a reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), has been released from the custody of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) annexe in Alagbon, Lagos, after being detained for several hours, FIJ confirmed.

Uti was invited by the police on allegations of criminal conspiracy and cyberbullying stemming from a November 28, 2024, FIJ investigative report. The report detailed a failed admission transaction involving N4 million between Beverly Basil of Expedia Consult and Lagos resident Muyiwa Taiwo.

Accompanied by an FIJ lawyer, Uti reported to the FCID earlier in the day for what the police described as a “fact-finding” session. The questioning lasted over five hours and culminated in his detention.

FIJ reported that during the interrogation, an officer questioned Uti’s journalistic process and criticized his decision not to visit Expedia Consult’s physical office before publishing the story despite confirmation that Uti had contacted the company via its official phone line and communicated with Beverly Basil multiple times.

Following the interrogation, police officers prepared a bail document accusing Uti of cybercrime, a move FIJ decried as an attempt to intimidate journalists and stifle investigative reporting.

FIJ has strongly condemned Uti’s detention, describing it as a violation of press freedom and a diversion from the real issue highlighted in the investigative report – the alleged exploitation of a Lagos resident seeking educational opportunities abroad.

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