Par Stevens/
A spokesperson for the Zimbabwean government, Nick Mangwana, has revealed what led to the detention of Nigerian journalist, David Hundeyin, at the Harare Airport, yesterday.
The journalist was also denied entry into the country and sent back to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he travelled from.
Hundeyin had taken to his verified Twitter page to announce his detention for over 10 hours, under inhuman conditions, in Harare Airport.
The development attracted mixed reactions from tweeps in both Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Reacting to Hundeyin’s tweet, Mangwana, who is a permanent secretary in the ministry of information, publicity and broadcasting, explained that the journalist’s detention was in accordance with the country’s immigration laws.
Mangwana wrote, “I am sorry that this journalist found himself in this situation. That said, we do have Immigration laws in our country that are obligatory to all prospective entrants, and no profession is immune to them. If someone’s travel document is such that they need a Visa, that law applies to everyone including ‘an award winning journalist’. Our laws are blind to social stations or attended achievements.”
Reacting further to claims by Hundeyin that his travel documents exempts him from obtaining a Zimbabwean visa, Mangwana stated, “…… since he has chosen to put all his issues out without making full disclosure, it forces us to give details we would have preferred not. But we realize this may affect how Zimbabweans are treated when they visit Nigeria so we are going give the information here.
“David (Hundeyin) came with Ghanaian Refuge papers claiming he was a Nigerian who was a refuge from his home country. His country of Asylum is Ghana after claiming to be running away from persecution in Nigeria. People in this category certainly need Visas to enter Zimbabwe. He wasn’t coming in to work as a journalist. He said he was just coming to visit but without getting a Visa in Ghana first.
“Other parts of his story were also unsatisfactory to the immigration authorities. He was considered not a candidate for entry into Zimbabwe.”
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