MANDY NEWS
Famous Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin was held at the airport in Zimbabwe. This stirred up big conversations about border rules, countries getting along, and freedom of news reporting. We’re going to break this down to understand why it happened and what it means.
David Hundeyin, a widely recognized Nigerian journalist, assumed he’d have a smooth travel experience to Zimbabwe. After all, he was traveling with the document of a country that Zimbabwe allows visa-free travel from. But, instead, he faced a startling experience at Harare Airport. He shared his ordeal via Twitter:
“I landed in Zimbabwe earlier today, and I have been detained... I have been locked in a room with no windows or toilet…”
He also mentioned how he wants to leave Zimbabwe and never return because of this bad experience.
The Back and Forth
Many people had something to say about Hundeyin’s experience. One of them was Hopewell Chin’ono, a big name in journalism, who didn’t like how Hundeyin was treated. He said:
“These are the things that taint the image of our country when you treat other Africans like animals. Why was he being denied the right to use a bathroom?”
But Nick Mangwana, a representative of the Zimbabwe government, said that everyone has to follow the same travel rules:
“Our laws are blind to social stations or attended achievements.”
Chin’ono answered back with a reminder of how Nigeria has helped Zimbabwe in the past. He also shared a story about how he had a similar experience in Nigeria, but he was treated better:
“I found myself in exactly the same situation in Nigeria in 2014. They NEVER detained me, they allowed me to get a visa at the airport…”
Still, Mangwana stood by his words, saying that no matter the relationship between the two countries, the rules must be followed.
The Reason Behind Hundeyin’s Detention
Despite traveling with the document from a visa-exempt country, Zimbabwean authorities detained Hundeyin because of his Nigerian nationality. According to their statement, even though his travel document didn’t require a visa, his Nigerian nationality did.
Zimbabwean government spokesperson, Nick Mangwana, defended the detention with a reminder about the universality of immigration laws:
“If someone’s travel document is such that they need a Visa, that law applies to everyone including ‘an award-winning journalist’.”
