Our Reporter, Abuja
David Hundeyin, a Nigerian investigative journalist on Wednesday, alerted the United Nations Human Rights Council that the Bola Tinubu-led government in Nigeria has plans afoot to abduct him from Ghana where he currently resides and subsequently imprison or extra-judicially eliminate him.
Hundeyin had posted via his X handle of his engagement with the global body.
“Earlier today at the 54th session of the @UNHumanRights Council held in Geneva, I spoke about the Nigerian regime’s ongoing attempt to silence me and put an end to my journalistic work using illegal rendition and diplomatic meddling.”
In a video address Hundeyin pointedly alleged that the Tinubu administration was planning to kill him, first by abducting him.
“Thank you for the opportunity to speak at the 54th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
“As an investigative journalist from Nigeria, my work primarily focuses on advancing transparency and accountability in government. I have repeatedly used my journalistic platform to expose and publicize malfeasance and criminal behaviour by powerful people in Nigeria, most recently the new Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu, an individual whose FBI file of over 2,500 pages is set to be released publicly for the first time next month and who has as a matter of public record forfeited $460,000 to the United States government being proceeds of heroin trafficking.
“Due to my journalistic work, his regime has taken extraordinary steps to silence me including a recent attempted abduction from Ghana where I have political asylum. The terrible regime is currently trying to prevail on Ghana which historically is a close ally of Nigeria to violate the non-reforming principle and have me return to Nigeria where I would almost certainly face imprisonment, torture, and extrajudicial execution.”
The self-exiled Hundeyin further said he has become unsettled as a result of the situation forcing him to always be on the lookout for his safety.
“To save my life and the important work that I do. I have been forced into a semi-nomadic lifestyle where I am really sleeping in one place for a prolonged period of time. In fact, it is from one of these temporary locations that I’m filming this message.
“Under Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and as a journalist, I must be able to do my work without living in fear or living on the run simply because I’m doing my job,” Hundeyin said.
