Hours after the Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute revealed that personnel of the Defence Intelligence Agency were responsible for the abduction of FirstNews editor, Segun Olatunji, officials of the Nigerian military have admitted they have the missing journalist in their custody.
The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, quoted top military officers as admitting their men seized the editor, after twelve days of denial.
Mr Idris disclosed this to officials of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the International Press Institute on Wednesday night.
He said the Defence Intelligence Agency had now committed to releasing the journalist on Thursday.
IPI Nigeria had earlier on Wednesday called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, an army general, to immediately produce the abducted journalist or charge him to court if he has committed any offence.
“The rule of law demands that an accused person is allowed to defend himself in a court of law within a reasonable time,” the IPI said in a statement, jointly signed by Mr Mojeed and and the institute’s Legal Adviser, Tobi Soniyi.
“This also conforms with the provisions of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, which forbids the detention of any citizen or resident beyond 48 hours, except with a valid court order.”
The IPI Nigeria said multiple checks revealed that Mr Olatunji is in the custody of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), an agency that reports directly to the Chief of Defence Staff.
“As a matter of urgency, the military should tell the world why Mr. Olatunji was arrested, where he is being kept, and why he has not been charged in court,” it said.
The IPI Nigeria noted that Mr Olatunji’s abduction has triggered speculations among journalists and human rights activists around the world that the Nigerian military may be keeping some vital information away from the public concerning the journalist’s safety.
“The international community should also pay attention to the unjust detention of Mr. Olatunji by the Nigerian military,” the statement added.
“IPI Nigeria is reminding the Nigerian authorities that when it comes to upholding human rights, Nigeria continues to rank low in the comity of nations. Keeping a citizen beyond the period allowed by the Constitution will only worsen Nigeria’s standing in the International community. The time to act is now.”
Journalist’s abduction
Armed men in military uniform stormed Mr Olatunji’s Lagos residence and whisked him away about two weeks ago. The abductors did not leave any information behind as to where they were taking him or what his offence was. He has been kept incommunicado since then.
The management of First News suspected it was connected to a series of reports published recently by the news platform.
The first report is titled, ‘Revealed: Defence Chief running office like family business – Public Interest Lawyers.’ The second report, titled, “EXCLUSIVE: How contractor, company stole N100bn, laundered funds for top govt officials – Investigation,’ was later pulled down by the medium.
Until the latest revelation, the editor’s whereabouts or his abductors were unknown.
Mr Olatunji’s experience adds to the dozens of press attacks that Nigeria, Africa’s largest country, witnesses annually.
