Nigerian journalist Damilola Ayeni was released on Friday, September 8th, after being presented to the Special Prosecutor of the Repressive Court for Economic and Terrorist Crimes (Criet). Before returning to Abuja, he shared the circumstances of his arrest by the Beninese police.
Damilola Ayeni was arrested on August 31, 2023, in Tanguiéta, in the Pendjari Park in northern Benin, on charges of terrorism. “I was recording a video when I was arrested, nothing more. I don’t understand the connection between filming and terrorism,” he told Bip fm. Damilola explained that he had traveled to Benin as part of a journalistic investigation into the cause of elephant deaths in Nigeria.
After his release, he expressed his joy at being able to return to his country. Indeed, he left on Saturday, September 9th. However, before his departure, he was received by the Nigerian ambassador to Benin.
According to Bip fm, Damilola Ayeni did not take his mobile phones with him when he left. They remained in the hands of the police for further investigation. In addition to the mentioned terrorism allegations, the police also seem to be questioning how the Nigerian journalist entered Benin’s territory.
