Azuka Ogujiuba, veteran journalist and founder of Media Room Hub, revealed that her three-day detention was masterminded by two police officers after she posted a copy of a court order on her Instagram account.
As reported by The Vanguard, she recounted her experience at the Inspector General of Police’s office, where she told reporters that the ordeal left her deeply unsettled. She noted that countless journalists have faced similar unlawful arrests, emphasizing that the reality of such abuse is only truly understood when one becomes a victim.
Ogujiuba explained that she had earlier received an invitation letter from the IGP’s office, which she honored on August 6 in compliance with the law and out of respect for the police. She said the matter was managed by two officers, Moses Jolugbo and Ifeoma Ogoli, acting on a petition filed by Adewale Oladapo, who accused her of online harassment and character defamation.
According to her, the officers presented the Instagram post in question, which contained a certified court injunction. She clarified that she never authored the document but merely reposted an official legal ruling already in circulation. Stressing her innocence, she argued that several media platforms had carried the same injunction, yet she alone was singled out. After the interrogation, she was told to produce a guarantor before being released.
Two days later, while she was in her office conducting an exclusive interview, Ogujiuba said the same policemen stormed the premises unexpectedly. She described how they pursued her aggressively, seized her phone, and created panic to the extent that her guest initially mistook them for kidnappers.
She was taken once more to the police office, where she was held for nearly an hour without any clear reason. Eventually, the officers claimed her offense was her refusal to delete the injunction post from her Instagram page.
Narrating her distress, she said she suffered sleepless nights and emotional trauma, adding that she doubted the Inspector General himself was aware such misconduct was happening under his watch. She lamented that the abuse of power by the officers was tarnishing the image of the Nigerian Police.
Ogujiuba firmly stated that the ordeal was orchestrated by officers Jolugbo and Ogoli. She recalled how they pointed guns at her, leaving her with no option but to comply with their demands.
She further revealed that when she pleaded to contact her lawyer or relatives, the request was turned down. Instead, she was locked up in a cell for three days without food, an experience she described as life-threatening and one she could barely believe she survived.
Hear her speak: “I asked to speak to my family or my lawyer, but they refused and locked me in the cell for three days without food. I don’t know how I survived it.”