INVESTIGATION: Journalist Alleges Police Plot to Lure Him Into Arrest Following Report on Federal Lawmaker

A Nigerian journalist and publisher of Asiwaju Media, Alefia Friday James has raised an alarm over what he describes as a covert attempt by a police operative to lure him into an illegal arrest, days after his media platform published an investigative story on a sitting member of the House of Representatives representing Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency.

Ondopress learnt that, In a security alert made public on Monday, July 21, 2025, the journalist said he received a suspicious call late on Saturday, July 19, from a man who identified himself as a police officer attached to the Special Protection Unit (SPU). The call, which came in at exactly 9:57 p.m., was placed to the publisher’s private mobile number—a line he says is known only to close associates and never used for media or public engagements.

The number, 0814 297 0985, is identified by Truecaller as belonging to one “CPL Asaph SPU”. The caller reportedly claimed he came across the journalist’s profile on Facebook and wanted to offer him a “media-related job.” He refused to provide further information over the phone and insisted on a face-to-face meeting scheduled for Monday.

The publisher described the interaction as “evasive and suspicious,” and said the unexpected access to his private line raised serious concerns. “It became clear this was not a normal job offer, but an attempt to lure me into an undisclosed location under false pretenses,” he wrote.

Following the encounter, he sought counsel from a security expert who, after reviewing the circumstances, advised that the call was likely part of a wider effort to track and arrest him, possibly as retaliation for a recent report published by Asiwaju Media. The expert also warned that tracking tools might have been used to obtain the journalist’s private number, after official business lines proved inaccessible.

The Asiwaju Media report in question had exposed alleged misconduct and impropriety involving a serving federal lawmaker.

“I now have reason to believe that the suspicious call is linked to the publication,” the publisher said, stressing that if he were under investigation, the police had legal avenues to invite him officially.

“If I have a case to answer, the proper procedure is a formal invitation—not a clandestine trap. I am a law-abiding citizen and will honour any legitimate invitation from the police,” he stated.

In a direct message to the police and their alleged sponsors, he warned: “Your plan has been uncovered. Stop using unlawful means to intimidate, harass or endanger me. Nigeria is a democracy, not a police state.”

The journalist described the incident as not just a personal security threat but a grave danger to press freedom in Nigeria. “This is an attack on independent journalism. It must not be ignored,” he wrote. “If anything happens to me, this public record stands as proof of the threats I’ve faced.”