Concerns mount as anonymous whistleblower, PIDOMNigeria, reported missing

Concerns are growing across social media about the disappearance of an anonymous whistleblower, PIDOM Nigeria, who has been reported missing by a fellow investigative journalist, David Hundeyin.

PIDOMNIGERIA on X.com Credit: David Hundeyin

Hundeyin suspects foul play and has shared his concerns on PIDOM’s X.com account, alleging that PIDOM’s disappearance is connected to Nigerian authorities.

Pro-democracy activist, Omoyele Sowore, has also spoken out, calling for PIDOM’s immediate release.

In a post on X.com on Friday, Sowore wrote, “I woke up to the heart-wrenching report of the abduction and secret detention of whistleblower and undercover journalist #PIDOMNIGERIA by forces related to the #officialABAT; going by the modus operandi of the regime, #PIDOMNIGERIA could be harmed if everything is not done to secure his release immediately.

“I, therefore, request the #officialABAT regime Gestapo unit holding #PIDOMNIGERIA to release him or her immediately. The same applies to all #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters illegally or extralegally detained across Nigeria.”

In an article titled “SOS Alert: PIDOM NIGERIA Is Missing (And I Think We May Know Who Has Him),” which Hundeyin shared on PIDOMNIGERIA’s X.com account late Thursday, he explained how his routine check of direct messages from PIDOMNIGERIA led to the unsettling discovery.

He claimed that he received a message from PIDOMNIGERIA’s account, supposedly sent by a close associate, claiming that PIDOMNIGERIA had been arrested on August 5 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and subsequently transferred to the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja, where he remains under the control of the National Cybercrime Centre.

“According to this unidentified person, PIDOM’s instructions to him/her were that if anything were to happen to him, the login details of his account should be handed over to me.

“Supposedly, his phone was destroyed during the arrest, and given the alleged lack of evidence tying him to the Twitter handle, a case for his innocence could be made stronger if I used his account and tweeted in his voice. Supposedly, this person said he had been granted administrative bail with ‘stringent conditions,'” Hundeyin wrote.

In the “Police Administrative Bail Condition” document dated August 15, which Hundeyin provided, it was alleged that #PIDOMNIGERIA, identified as Bristol Isaac, was being detained by the Nigerian police for committing computer-related fraud.

Hundeyin went further to explain how the person claiming to be PIDOMNIGERIA’s close associate provided incorrect login details to PIDOM’s Twitter account, which raised his suspicions of government-led involvement as he believed that a trusted associate should have provided accurate information.

Hundeyin said he accused the person of working for the government and demanded proof of identity via video within five minutes, threatening to go public otherwise.

The person reportedly responded with voice notes from individuals claiming to be PIDOM’s family members, pleading for secrecy and promising correct login details.

However, the subsequent login attempt also failed. Eventually, a Twitter password worked, granting Hundeyin access to PIDOM’s account.

To secure the account, Hundeyin said he changed the password and set up new multi-factor authentication, logging out any other users.

Following these, Hundeyin said he experienced attempts to hack into one of his WhatsApp accounts, which he believed was a sophisticated attempt to compromise his security and gain control over PIDOM’s account, further fueling his suspicions of government involvement.

Despite their professional relationship, Hundeyin stated that he and PIDOMNIGERIA never met in person, with PIDOM taking measures to protect his identity.

Hundeyin now fears for PIDOM’s safety, suspecting he may be in grave danger or even deceased.

He called for public awareness and action towards PIDOM’s disappearance, emphasising the need to expose what he alleged is a government attempt to silence a whistleblower.

“If indeed my friend PIDOM has been killed, I want the world to know what happened and who was responsible for it. I will not be silent about it. Nigerians must know. Even if as usual, they will do nothing about it, they must know. If not for our sake, then for our children. If not for them, then for their children. Or maybe their children after them.

“And on the off-chance that PIDOM NIGERIA is still alive and in the custody of the Nigerian government, I also want the Nigerian people to know. This is what your gratuitously-extracted taxes are funding in our country,” Hundeyin wrote.

With over 265,000 followers on X.com, #PIDOMNIGERIA’s absence has sparked concern among the Nigerian online community, prompting a trending campaign calling for his release.

The hashtags #PIDOM, #FreePidom, #WhereisPidom, among others are also trending on X.