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By: Manoah Kikekon
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| David Hundeyin |
The Nigerian Police Force has declared West Africa Weekly Editor-in-Chief David Hundeyin sought in connection with the trial of Isaac Bristol, who is suspected by the Nigeria Police Force of being a notable anonymous online whistleblower known as PIDOM Nigeria.
According to a statement made on Tuesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Hundeyin, and Michael Temidayo Alade are alleged PIDOM accomplices.
Bristol, who was charged at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, has been remanded to Kuje jail for a minimum of seven days. He faced charges of money laundering, cybercrime, and unlawfully obtaining, maintaining, and spreading sensitive official secret materials.
According to a report by Sahara Reporters, the police have now implicated investigative journalist David Hundeyin as a suspect in the same case, along with Michael Temidayo Alade, who is also listed as a police witness ready to testify against Bristol.
Hundeyin's award-winning investigative work has revealed corruption and human rights violations by the Nigerian government. His list of awards and recognition includes the 2020 People Journalism Prize for Africa, 2021 and 2022 GRC Anti-FinCrime Reporter of the Year, Most Outstanding Young Person in Journalism at the 2022 Lagos Youth Awards, 2023 Distinguished James Currey Fellowship at the University of Cambridge, Special Investigative Reporting Award at the 2023 PwC Media Excellence Awards, finalist in the 2023 AIJC African Investigative Journalist of the Year Award, and 2024 Journalism Resid.
Hundeyin, who is currently in exile to avoid punishment by Nigeria's authoritarian government, has published two volumes about his long-running conflict with Nigerian state actors: The Jungle (Abibiman, 2023) and Breaking Point (Abibiman, 2024).
Previous attempts by the authorities to kidnap or extradite him failed.