David Hudenyin Speaks at UN Human Rights Council Session, Voices Concern about Govt-backed Abduction Attempt
At the 54th session of the UN Human Rights Council held in Geneva, David Hundeyin, an investigative journalist from Nigeria, has accused the regime of Bola Tinubu of trying to silence him and end his journalistic work using illegal rendition and diplomatic meddling.
Hundeyin said that his work primarily focuses on advancing transparency and accountability in government, and that he has repeatedly exposed and publicized malfeasance and criminal behavior by powerful people in Nigeria. He mentioned that President Tinubu, who is facing an FBI file of over 2,500 pages that is set to be released publicly next month, and who has forfeited $460,000 to the US government as proceeds of heroin trafficking, is one of his main targets.
Hundeyin says that his investigative work has provoked the regime to try to silence him by any means. He reveals that they have recently plotted to abduct him from Ghana, where he has political asylum.
“Due to my journalistic work, his regime has taken extraordinary steps to silence me, including a attempted recent abduction from Ghana where I have political asylum,” Hundeyin said.
“The Tinubu regime is currently trying to prevail on Ghana, which historically is a close ally of Nigeria, to violate the non-refoulement principle and have me returned to Nigeria where I will almost certainly face imprisonment, torture and extrajudicial execution.”
Hundeyin said that he has been forced into a semi-nomadic lifestyle, barely sleeping in one place for a prolonged period of time, and that he was filming his message from one of his temporary locations. He appealed to the UN Human Rights Council to protect his right to freedom of expression under Article 19 of the 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 am doing my job,” Hundeyin said.