Isaac Bristol is accused of being behind the whistleblower X account PIDOMNigeria. His brother, Emmanuel Bristol, narrated how Isaac was abducted by police operatives in an interview with News Central.
The elder brother of the detained Nigerian whistleblower Isaac Bristol, popularly known as PIDOMNigeria, has revealed the circumstances surrounding the arrest of his brother and how he was treated by the police.
Isaac Bristol is accused of being behind the whistleblower X account PIDOMNigeria. His brother, Emmanuel Bristol, narrated how Isaac was abducted by police operatives in an interview with News Central.
He lamented that his detained brother was being treated badly and denied access to medical attention.
“Isaac was arrested on the 5th of August. He was arrested in his hotel room by policemen. We started searching for him and it is quite unfortunate that security agencies could stoop so low to deny arrest if a citizen,” Emmanuel said.
He noted that the police denied arresting Isaac and made the family go to different agencies in search of his brother.
He said, “The police denied arresting him and asked me to check for him with their sister agencies, I went to EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission). EFCC asked us to describe how he was arrested and I told them that the men that arrested him came with Lexus vehicles.
“The EFCC noted that it was against their ethics that the persons who come to arrest him will bundle someone into a vehicle and zoom off with them. They noted that if they were the ones, the officials must be in their uniform.
“The EFCC advised me to check with the DSS (Department of State Services). I went to the DSS who said they weren’t the one that arrested him. We got wind that he was at Umukoro where he was detained, we went there and insisted that he was there. Initially they denied he was with them but later they accepted and stated that he had been flown to Abuja already, whereas he was still there.
“At some point, an officer called to tell us that our brother was with them in Abuja and he ought to issue a statement. We told them we are resident in Port Harcourt. He called on a Saturday, so it took four days for the lawyer to get to Abuja. He arrived in Abuja on a Wednesday. When he got to Abuja, they couldn’t take his statement the same day.
“They took his statement on Thursday till Monday. We were so embarrassed that they granted him an administrative bail of N500 million, for someone that is innocent. According to the law, even if someone was caught in the act, he is presumed to be innocent.
“I want to use this medium to inform the world that he was arrested, handcuffed and chained for six days. Even in the hotel, the picture they painted was that they came to arrest a notorious armed robber. Even inside the flight, he was on handcuff. That is story for another day. Why would the pilot allow a passenger to be on handcuffs throughout the flight time? If there was an emergency, Isaac wouldn’t have been able to assist himself.”
SaharaReporters earlier reported that PIDOM well known for exposing high-profile corruption and human rights abuses in Nigeria, was arrested on August 5, 2024.
With over 200,000 followers, his prolonged absence sparked concerns among the Nigerian online community, prompting a trending campaign, #FreePidom, calling for his release.
PIDOMNigeria was arrested in his hotel room in Rivers State.
Emmanuel Bristol, brother of Isaac Bristol, who is accused of being behind the whistleblower X account PIDOMNigeria, describes his abduction, ongoing inhumane treatment, deteriorating health, lack of access while detained, harsh bail conditions, absence of charges since his… pic.twitter.com/HYA4PI20d5
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) September 1, 2024