Investigative writer David Hundeyin has opened up on the main reason he had to leave Nigeria for another country.
David Hundeyin appeared as a guest on the #WithChude podcast, to discuss his approach to journalism, the stories he wrote, his books, his decision to leave his brand, and his reasons for leaving Nigeria.
“Those who know me in person are always amused by the perception of the public that I am some fire-breathing dragon. I am a very sentimental and emotional person. To those who have access to it, I am a huge softie. The flip side of it is that Nigeria is not a place for meek people.
“The only people who get anything done in Nigeria are people who break things and move fast. In Nigeria, you have to create a persona that can survive in a very harsh public space of Nigeria, if you don’t do that it is going to step all over you”
David Hundeyin disclosed that he was exiled from the country after he started receiving threats due to the stories he published. He revealed how one of the dangerous threats he received came from a family member who has power in the country.
“I was exiled from the country; I do not have a Nigerian passport anymore. Starting from 2019 when I set off and became this ‘thing’, I had already started getting threats from very close to home as well. It was August 2019, and there was a Sallah celebration there used to be this family tradition that everyone would travel home to Badagry to celebrate together whenever there was a major celebration.”
“I had not spoken to this family member since my dad died, I hadn’t seen him in years and this man came with his full official escort to look for me specifically. He said, ‘Have you seen the DSS headquarters in Abuja? Do you know that it has seven underground stories of prisons? With these your glasses you are not going to see anything inside there.’ He said it with a sort of smile on his face, but it was a threat.
