BEVERLY HILLS, August 14, (THEWILL) – Samuel Ogundipe, a journalist working for Premium Times has been detained by the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the police force, the same day Acting President Yemi Osinbajo ordered the overhaul of the unit responsible for several violations of citizens’ rights.
The news website said apart from Ogundipe, who covers the security sector, its editor-in-chief, Musikilu Mojeed, and its education correspondent, Azeezat Adedigba, were also briefly detained and manhandled by the police at the SARS headquarters in Abuja.
There have been multiple arrests of journalists by security agencies this year.
It said Ogundipe’s detention is as a result of the publication of a letter, which was published by dozens of news websites, written by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on last week’s siege to the National Assembly by security officials.
“They repeatedly asked the journalist to disclose his source for a story published by this newspaper,” Premium Times said.
It added that Ms. Adedigba was later released after about three hours of detention.
Mr. Mojeed and Mr. Ogundipe were driven from the SARS headquarters in Abuja to the IGP Monitoring Unit at Force Headquarters where Mr. Ogundipe was made to write a statement.
At the Force headquarters, a DCP at the IGP Monitoring Unit, Sani Ahmadu, was heard directing lawyers to “rush to court” to obtain a warrant to detain Mr. Ogundipe.
“It should be embarrassing to the Nigeria Police to so brazenly clamp down on a law-abiding citizen and journalist with an apparent sinister view to inhibiting the practice of his profession in line with its ethics and within the latitude guaranteed by the laws of Nigeria and international conventions.
“The subterfuge employed in bringing in the reporter, even while harassing his colleagues should also be condemned by all Nigerians.
“This heavy-handed treatment of a journalist against whom no case of violation of the law has been made is an embarrassment to Nigeria and advertises the country as disdainful of its own laws and democratic practice.
“We wonder what the Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, finds attractive in making Nigeria a laughing stock at a time the eyes of the civilised world are on the country as it approaches a milestone in the development of its democracy.
“We therefore call on Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to direct the Police to release Mr Ogundipe immediately and unconditionally, “Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher of Premium Times said in a statement.
About the Author
