Investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo has recounted the harrowing experience he faced while carrying out an undercover investigation in Liberia, revealing that his biggest fear had been being abducted.
Speaking during an interview with Arise News, Soyombo said people had warned him that there was a significant risk of abduction before he embarked on the assignment.
“My biggest fear was being abducted in Liberia. People told me there was about a 30% chance that I could be abducted,” he said.
However, Soyombo said the reality he encountered was different from what he had anticipated, as he allegedly ended up being subjected to harsh treatment by traffickers.
“I never imagined I would end up being treated like a slave by traffickers,” he said.
Describing the conditions he experienced, the investigative journalist said those around him were made to perform demanding tasks for the traffickers, including making their beds and helping with vehicles when they became stuck.
“We did everything for them. We made their beds when they woke up, and when the truck tyres got stuck in the mud, they would force us to use our bare hands to pull them out,” Soyombo recounted.
He stressed that the demands were not voluntary, alleging that the traffickers used violence to compel them to comply.
“It wasn’t a request, they were violent about it,” he added.
Soyombo’s account sheds light on the dangers journalists and investigators can face when conducting undercover investigations, particularly when their work takes them into environments involving criminal networks and human trafficking.
The journalist is known for investigative reporting that has taken him into difficult and dangerous environments in pursuit of stories that expose alleged wrongdoing and abuses.
His latest account has drawn attention to the risks involved in undercover journalism and the lengths investigators may have to go to document activities that would otherwise remain hidden from the public.
