The federal government has issued a directive for soldiers to vacate the offices of Daily Trust newspaper.
Soldiers on Sunday invaded the head office of the newspaper in Abuja and its regional offices in Maiduguri, Borno state capital, and Lagos.
The reason for the invasion is yet to be known, but the armed soldiers arrested Uthman Abubakar, the newspaper’s regional editor, and Ibrahim Sawab, a reporter.
Following a series of tweets by the newspaper calling for the immediate release of its staff, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, said the issue will be resolved through dialogue.
“The Federal Government has directed the military to vacate the premises of @daily_trust and the order has been complied with. Issues between the military and the newspaper as they affect the coverage of the war in the Northeast will be resolved through dialogue,” Shehu tweeted on Sunday evening. ‘
During the invasion, the soldiers had requested to see Hamza Idris, Daily Trust’s political editor who co-authored Sunday’s frontpage report about the military’s operation in the north-east.