Newsfront Online …Telling the Public as it is
The International Press Institute (IPI), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) have said though the military-abducted FirstNews editor, Mr Segun Olatunji, has now been released, President Bola Tinubu must ensure that the officers behind the act are punished for their bad behaviour.
The media bodies declared that, by all standards, the actions of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, are against the provisions of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and other international instruments to which Nigeria is a signatory that forbids the detention of any citizen or resident beyond 48 hours, except with a valid court order.
IPI, NGE and NUJ which stated these at a joint press conference in Abuja on Thursday vowed that the Nigerian media community shall consult further in the next few days on the actions to take against the CDS, the CDI, and the military regarding this matter. Reading the text of the press conference, the NGE general secretary, Dr. Iyobosa Uwugiaren, wondered at DIA’s real intention which raised suspicion that the agency planned to secretly eliminate Olatunji so that members of the public could attribute his disappearance to unknown gunmen.
He recalled a statement issued by the management of FirstNews, which indicated that Mr Olatunji’s abduction was linked to a recent story published by the media organisation entitled, “Revealed: Defence Chief running office like family business – Public Interest Lawyers.”
Uwugiaren recounted that: “Mr Olatunji’s wife, who witnessed the abduction of her husband, said the armed men stormed their residence a few minutes after 6pm that day. She said on their arrival, the abductors immediately confiscated her husband‘s telephone before shoving him into a van. She said she asked the abductors what her husband‘s offence was and where they were taking him. The stern-looking men rebuffed her enquiries. “For days, the Publisher of FirstNews, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson, as well as Mr Olatunji‘s colleagues and family members, tried in vain to locate him, but those who abducted him ensured he was incommunicado”.
“They also ensured that no one knew his whereabouts, a development that further traumatised his family, employers and colleagues. For days, the leaderships of the IPI, the NGE and the NUJ frantically searched for Mr Olatunji. We interacted with the presidency, the Nigeria Police Force (Lagos and Abuja), the Nigerian Army, the Defence Intelligence Agency, the Ministry of Interior, the Defence Headquarters, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, and the State Security Services (SSS).
Other security agencies were also contacted, but all the efforts failed until last night. The military claimed the journalist was not in their custody. They lied to us and top government officials whose interventions we sought.“
Uwugiaren said on Monday, IPI Nigeria was able to determine that the journalist was being detained and tortured by the Defence Intelligence Agency in Abuja and then informed General Musa and Undiandeye of its finding and asked them to release the editor immediately.
The NGE scribe disclosed that the media bodies also provided that information to top government officials who also reached out to Generals Musa and Undiandeye but again, they lied that the journalist was not in their custody, yet sources kept telling them to act fast to save the abducted journalist from being killed.
That was what culminated in the IPI Nigeria‘s press statement of Wednesday, which clearly accused the DIA of abducting and detaining Mr Olatunji. Once that statement circulated in the media, the anti-democratic officers became jittery. They became even more confused after they became aware that the NGE, the NUJ, and the IPI had scheduled a follow-up press conference for this morning.
Knowing the game was up, they admitted their crime last night. They confessed to the Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, that our colleague was in their custody and that they would release him immediately.
„At this point, we want to put on record the important role played by the minister of information and other top officials of government towards the resolution of this matter. These reckless and anti-media officers, who apparently have no respect for civilian authorities, lied to and disobeyed officials of the federal government who intervened.
„We are sure that many right-thinking members of society, including the international community, are both amazed and shocked by the lawlessness and fear-provoking action of the DIA – an agency under the command of Major General Undiandeye, who reports directly to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Musa.
The statement declared the DIA’s action as vicious, uncivilized, unlawful, criminal and unacceptable. “The action is alien to Nigeria‘s democratic space. It is now clear that there are some officers in our military who are still finding it difficult to subject themselves to civil authority 24 years after our country returned to representative governance,“ he added. Uwugiaren insisted that this kind of attitude should not be condoned by Tinubu, particularly, and Nigerians, in general.
The DIA’s action is a direct attack on press freedom. One of the core missions of the free press is to serve as a watchdog on power. The press, as we all know, is the connection between the people and the government. If the press is not allowed to carry out its social and constitutional responsibilities but instead obligated to power, it simply serves as an extension of power.
Without freedom of the press, our democracy is endangered. In the case of corruption, a free press is critical to exposing abuses of power. For sure, the media is not above the law, but in a democracy, the only way to determine wrong or right is through the legal process,“ he added.
Those In Corridors Of Power Behind My Ordeal – Olatunji
Narrating his ordeal, Olatunji said those responsible for his arrest were individuals in the corridors of power due to some stories published by his medium. “I was at home with my son on Friday, March 15, watching ‘Journalists Hangout,’ when I noticed soldiers outside.
“An officer, who introduced himself as Colonel Lawal, approached me. I inquired about their reason for seeking me. He didn’t provide a clear answer, only stating they were from the military,” he said. Olatunji said his phones were seized, and after a blindfolded journey, he found himself handcuffed, both hands and feet, and stripped of his belongings in Abuja.
He explained that while in detention, interrogations focused on specific stories published by FirstNews, especially those criticizing the Chief of Defence Intelligence and the Chief of Staff to the President. “The first story was an accusation against the Chief of Defence Intelligence. I informed them that it was a general story, and they did not say much about it.
“They also inquired about a story we published regarding the Chief of Staff to the President. This was the major issue. This is why I had mentioned to some people earlier that those responsible for my arrest were individuals in the corridors of power, suggesting that these stories were the reason for my detention. “It was evident that certain individuals in positions of power were unhappy with the work being done by FirstNews,” Olatunji added.
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