More details have emerged on the abduction of Segun Olatunji, Editor of FirstNews Online Newspaper.
Gunmen in military uniform had invaded Olatunji’s residence at Iyana Odo, Abule Egba area of Lagos state, on March 15, and abducted him.
Olatunji was released on Thursday in Abuja after intense media pressure.
Speaking after his release, Olatunji said those behind his ordeal are close to the government.
He spoke during a press briefing organised by the leadership of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and International Press Institute (IPI).
Musikilu Mojeed, President, IPI Nigeria; Chris Isiguzo, President, (NUJ), and Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Secretary of NGE, attended the briefing.
Uwugiaren said they learnt there was a plot to secretly eliminate Olatunji.
Uwugiaren said that for days, the leaderships of the IPI, the NGE, and the NUJ frantically searched for Olatunji.
He said: “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… The DIA’s action makes us wonder about its real intention. Our suspicion is that they planned to secretly eliminate Olatunji so that members of the public could attribute his disappearance to unknown gunmen. But we are glad they failed.
“However, on Monday, IPI Nigeria was able to determine (without doubt) that the journalist was being detained and tortured by the Defence Intelligence Agency in Abuja. The IPI then informed the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, of its findings and asked them to release our colleague immediately.
“We also provided that information to top government officials, who also reached out to Generals Musa and Undiandeye. Again, they lied, saying that the journalist was not in their custody. Yet our sources were telling us we needed to act fast to save our colleague from being killed.
“More so, 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 in 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 is obligated to exercise 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.
“This is not the end of this matter. 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.”