Award-winning Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin has always dreamt of visiting the southern African country, Zimbabwe. But when he decided it was time to materialise his dream, Zimbabwean Immigration Service pulled a Mugabe Stunt on him once he arrived at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare. On yes, David Hundeyin was detained at the airport over his passport and nationality.
In a tweet that went viral on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, night, the journalist seeking Asylum in Ghana called the attention of everyone to his continued detention in what he described as a smelly, tiny, and dark room. Initially, many Nigerians assumed the Nigerian government was working undercover with the Zimbabwean government to pull an operation Nnamdi Kanu on the celebrated journalist as they did with Kenya in 2021. Like Nnamdi Kanu, who is still facing trial, David Hundeyin’s investigative reports over the years have attacked the integrity of many politicians in Nigeria and have been regarded as a threat to the Nigerian government.
Some Nigerians even attributed it to Xenophobia, stating that Zimbabwe is rarely kind nor respectful to Nigerian tourists. But after much outrage on social media, David was eventually released following a 10-hour detention and then deported from the country. Since his release, the Zimbabwe Permanent Secretary in the Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Service has come out to say his side of the story, likewise David Hundeyin in a recent interview. Was it all a botched plan to kidnap David like Nnamdi Kanu? Was it about Xenophobia? Or was it just a passport and visa issue?
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