Investigative journalist, David Hundeyin, has given reasons for his declaration as an accomplice by the Nigerian Police in the trial of whistleblower, Isaac Tamunobifiri, popularly known as PIDOM.
Hudneyin, in an interview with News Central Television, on Wednesday, said, “And just like I guess, truth to form, they named me a suspect in an ongoing criminal investigation for the purpose of creating a narrative basis possibly to put me on an Interpol notice list which makes it more difficult for me to travel essentially to make the world feel like they are closing in on me. And as you know getting hold of David Hundeyin is one of the most important security priorities of the Nigerian establishment. It doesn’t matter that you have terrorists flaunting ransom on TikTok.”
The journalist also claimed that in 2023, the National Intelligence Agency made several attempts to abduct him from overseas for exposing the ills of some top governmental functionaries, adding that the attempts were in Ghana and Kenya before he moved 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.
“This is part of the price that you have to pay when you decide to say the truth at the time it wasn’t fashionable to do so, especially a regime that sees truth-telling as an affront or threat to it,” he stressed.
PIDOM was accused of leaking classified and restricted documents, fraud, sedition, and tax evasion, among others.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the Force Spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said PIDOM was arrested following a petition from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Adejobi added that when operatives of the National Cybercrime Centre stormed PIDOM’s hotel, he resisted arrest, locked himself up, destroyed his phone, and flushed it down the toilet.
Earlier, PIDOM was reminded in Kuje correctional facility, Abuja.
PIDOM was arraigned on Tuesday on nine counts brought against him by the Inspector General of Police, including alleged money laundering, cybercrime, and disseminating classified secret documents.
Count one read, “That you Bristol Tamunobifiri ‘M’ 41 years of No. 36 Hardy Avenue, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court sometime between 2023 and August 2024, accessed the computer network using your X handle @Pidomnigeria with username #99%oppresed to mobilise and solicit support from Nigerians to unduly compel the Federal Government of Nigeria to perform or abstain from performing certain acts through a movement you promoted with the hashtag #Endbadgovernanceinnigeria and you thereby commit an offence punishable under section 18(1) of the cybercrime (prohibition and prevention e.t.c) Act 2015 as amended 2024.”
