Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police asks a Federal High Court in Abuja to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of Fisayo Soyombo, founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ). The police request is tied to the police seeking the court’s authority to proceed against the journalist, according to the reports.
Premium Times and Punch both frame the matter around the court process and the police’s attempt to secure an arrest-related warrant. However, their emphasis differs: Punch focuses on the police moving the court to issue a bench warrant, while Premium Times reports the court’s outcome, saying the judge rejects the police request for an arrest warrant. Premium Times adds that the judge’s reasoning includes that Soyombo has not been brought before her to establish the court’s authority over the journalist.
Taken together, the articles describe a dispute between police and the judiciary over how the journalist should be brought before court, with the reported decision indicating the police request does not succeed at this stage.
