David Hundeyin Responds to Zimbabwe’s Detention and Deportation

David Hundeyin, a Nigerian independent investigative journalist and activist, has taken to his Twitter to respond to Zimbabwe’s authorities after he was detained in Harare Airport and deported from the country.

iexclusivenews¹, reports that Hundeyin challenged the Zimbabwean authorities over their explanation for his arrest, detention and deportation on Wednesday, July 19, 2023.

Hundeyin, who is a strong critic of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu², had landed in Zimbabwe earlier that day, only to be told that despite using the travel document of a country with a visa-free relationship with Zimbabwe, he still needed a visa as a Nigerian³.

He reported being held in a cramped, unpleasant room for nearly seven hours, as he shared on his Twitter account⁴.

He said:

> I was processed for removal from their country and locked in a tiny room, but I have heard nothing from anyone for several hours. Alongside a lady from Uganda (also a visa-free country), I have been locked in a room with no windows or toilet, plus a bottle of pee on the floor.

> No one appears to be in charge of anything, and even though my return flight to Addis has been rescheduled for tonight, I am still locked in this room, and I risk missing my flight. They appear to have forgotten that they have people in detention here.

He later tweeted that he was released and deported from Zimbabwe, and that he was safe and well.

In his response to the Zimbabwean authorities, he tweeted:

> I wasn’t aware that it is standard operating procedure in Zimbabwe for the country’s minister of information to tweet the asylum status of a foreigner, but since you’ve resorted to telling half truths, perhaps you should mention to your audience that I came into Zimbabwe with this valid Ghanaian refugee passport, which I have used to travel extensively over the world for 2 years.

> I’m sure you saw the valid UK Visa inside it. I’m also sure that you saw the numerous entry and exit stamps inside it belonging to multiple jurisdictions inside and outside Africa. Only in Zimbabwe have I EVER had an issue travelling with this document.

> You might also want to share with your audience that I put a call through to the Zimbabwean embassy in Accra before I travelled to confirm that I did not need a visa, and that J was expressly advised that as long as the airline was happy to recognise the travel document, I would have no problem coming into Zimbabwe visa-free.

> I know this despicable Twitter stunt of yours does not represent the behaviour of the generality of Zimbabweans, many of whom I have had as dear friends since university 15 years ago, so I will not hold it against Zimbabwe. From experience, I know that it is possible for a great country to be held captive by a criminal political elite who lack legitimacy.

> Whatever you thought you achieved by doing this, I assure you that you should have completed the job yesterday because you will not like what happens next.

I wasn't aware that it is standard operating procedure in Zimbabwe for the country's minister of information to tweet the asylum status of a foreigner, but since you've resorted to telling half truths, perhaps you should mention to your audience that I came into Zimbabwe with… https://t.co/vF5lUkNaUx pic.twitter.com/upArdnR2cK

— David Hundeyin (@DavidHundeyin) July 20, 2023

Hundeyin is known for his investigative reporting on various issues affecting Nigeria and Africa, such as corruption, human rights abuses, terrorism and insecurity².

He has won several awards for his journalism work, including the People Journalism Prize for Africa (PJPA) in 2020 and 2021².