The government of Zimbabwe has revealed why Nigerian Investigative journalist, David Ineye Hundeyin was arrested and detained, News About Nigeria reports.
David revealed on his Twitter page late Wednesday night that he was detained at Harare Airport.
The activist said he was locked inside a smelly locked room for almost 7 hours.
According to Hundeyin, the authorities said that despite using the travel document of a country with a visa-free relationship, Hundeyin’s nationality is still Nigerian, so he needs a visa.
He was then processed for removal from the African country.
He narrated the unpleasant experience in the locked room alongside a Ugandan lady.
On Thursday morning, the Permanent Secretary in the Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Service of Zimbabwe, Nick Mangwana confirmed that Hundeyin was apprehended for coming into the country without a visa.
Hundeyin had reportedly been seeking asylum in Ghana because he is running away from the Nigerian government.
So he traveled to Zimbabwe with his Ghanaian refugee papers, which ultimately led to his swift arrest, detention, and deportation.
Addressing the incident, Mangwana clarified that Hundeyin’s Nigerian nationality did not exempt him from adhering to Zimbabwe’s immigration laws.
Despite being an award-winning journalist, he was subject to the same rules as anyone else entering the country.
“I am sorry that this journalist found himself in this situation. That said, we do have Immigration laws in our country that are obligatory to all prospective entrants, and no profession is immune to them. If someone’s travel document is such that they need a Visa, that law applies to everyone including “an award winning journalist”. Our laws are blind to social stations or attended achievements.
“Since he has chosen to put all his issues out without making full disclosure, it forces us to give details we would have preferred not. But we realize this may affect how Zimbabweans are treated when they visit Nigeria so we are going give the information here. David came with Ghanaian Refuge papers claiming he was a Nigerian who was a refuge from his home country. His country of Asylum is Ghana after claiming to be running away from persecution in Nigeria. People in this category certainly need Visas to enter Zimbabwe. He wasn’t coming in to work as a journalist. He said he was just coming to visit but without getting a Visa in Ghana first. Other parts of his story were also unsatisfactory to the immigration authorities. He was considered not a candidate for entry into Zimbabwe.
“We treat everyone who is waiting for a flight for their removal with a lot of courtesy and human dignity. Having said that, I do understand that being denied entry when you have reveled all the way can be a source of immense frustrations and verbal lash outs, some which are inaccurate but someone just ventilating such vexations”, Nick Mangwana tweeted.
