Police Release Detained Wife, Baby of FIJ Reporter
By: Abudu Olalekan
When news broke that the Nigeria Police had snatched a senior FIJ reporter’s wife and her nine‑month‑old baby, my heart did a quick skip. The Owutu scene in Ikorodu felt like a movie set—except the script was real and raw.
Adenike Atanda, a mother of one, was taken from her home on a Monday evening. Police held her and the infant for hours. They finally let them go, but not before making her call her husband and say the child was sick.
“They drove us to a street close to our house,” she told FIJ. “Then they saw him, handcuffed him, and tossed the baby and me out.” That line hit hard. It was simple. It was brutal.
Her husband, Sodeeq Atanda, had been arrested earlier that day. He was later released around midnight. The police said they were just following an invitation. But the invitation never came in the right way.
A WhatsApp message from a self‑declared “Omo Eleniyan” popped up. It read: “I’m a police officer attached to the IGP Monitoring Unit, Lagos Annex. An approved petition … your name is mentioned … you have been invited, sir.” The tone was official. The grammar? A bit shaky.
Atanda replied with his newsroom email. He asked for a formal invite through that channel. The sender replied, “The invitation is for you, not for the organisation.” Then, after a short pause, “Alright, sir. No problem.” That exchange felt like a ping‑pong match with no ball.
No more messages arrived until Monday night, when Adenike and the baby were detained again. The Lagos State Police Command never gave a clear statement. A text to SP Abimbola Adebisi, the PPRO, got a vague reply: “A reporter from FIJ called last night … I’m still trying to reach FHQ Annex.”
The release was sudden. Police let Adenike and her baby walk free just after the husband was set free. It felt like a quick fix. The police said they had been “holding them for several hours.” That phrase sounded like a courtesy it wasn’t.
Governor Otti of Abia had just launched electric buses weeks earlier. The contrast was stark. One story about a green future, the other about a dark night in Lagos. Both show how power can swing either way.
FIJ said the incident is linked to an earlier attempt to question Atanda. The police allegedly wanted to bring him in for questioning. Instead, they snared his family.
The police later released the baby and mother at a nearby street. They claimed it was “to protect the child’s health.” But the child was fine. The mother was shaken.
What does this mean for journalists in Nigeria? It means every story carries risk. It means a simple WhatsApp ping can turn into a police knock on the door. It means you have to watch your back, even when you’re just sending an email.
Back in Umuahia, Governor Otti was busy cutting ribbons on his new electric fleet. He bragged about zero emissions. He praised the state for being ahead of the curve. Yet here in Lagos, the same old story repeats. Police can pull a family from a quiet street and make them dance to their tune. The law feels like a game of chess, with journalists as pawns. Nobody knows who will move next. All we can do is stay alert, keep our sources safe, and keep filing stories that matter.
