Abuja, Nigeria, September 29, 2016 -- Nigerian authorities
should immediately release at least 11 journalists, bloggers, and media
support staff detained in recent days across the country and stop
harassing the media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
"The impunity with which Nigerian security forces have recently attacked the press is reminiscent of Nigeria's darkest days of military rule," said CPJ West Africa Representative Peter Nkanga.
"We call on President Muhammadu Buhari's administration to reverse this alarming slide and let journalists do their jobs without fear of reprisal."
The10 journalists and media workers have not yet been arraigned.
"TheEdo State government wants to stop us from reporting the elections because,sincerely, the facts we were getting from the opinion polls we were runningfrom our call centre and 'vox-pop' interviews with people on the streets were reallydamaging against them," Garrick said.
According to press reports, those arrested include: productionmanager Tony Abulu; reporters Richard Hasley, Opara Uche, and Handy Romeo Eze;video editor Kelvin Toryila; information technology specialists Lanre Ogunleye,Balogun Ehigie, and Kenneth Danpome; a logistics manager identified only asMathew; and driver Joe Epi.
At a press conference in the city of Benin yesterday, thehead of the Edo State branch of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, RolandOsakwe, said the union was "seriously embarrassed" to discover the detained menwere not journalists, and "disclaimed" them on behalf of the union "as a way ofsending a clear message to those who find it most convenient to impersonatemembers of the pen profession for pecuniary gains."
Asked about the NUJ's statement, three journalists at Watchdog Media'sAbuja officeandGarrick, the website's editor, today told CPJ that those detained were theircolleagues. Garrick said he wasplanning on bringing a defamation suit regarding Osakwe's comments on behalf ofthe NUJ.
Abdu Labaran, Masari's spokesman, denied that the statereported the blogger to the police, the reports said.
A magistrate court on September 22 said it had nojurisdiction in the case and remanded Mabai to prison pending a trial beforeanother court. Peter Israel, Mabai's lawyer, told CPJ that police charged Mabaiwith inciting disaffection against the government. In a second session today, themagistrate insisted on remanding Mabai to prison custody until the prosecution couldapply to try the case before a competent higher court, Israel said. Mabai remainsin state custody.
. Israel told CPJ that the two were released, pending trial,on September 27.
CPJ is an independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide.
"The impunity with which Nigerian security forces have recently attacked the press is reminiscent of Nigeria's darkest days of military rule," said CPJ West Africa Representative Peter Nkanga.
"We call on President Muhammadu Buhari's administration to reverse this alarming slide and let journalists do their jobs without fear of reprisal."
The10 journalists and media workers have not yet been arraigned.
"TheEdo State government wants to stop us from reporting the elections because,sincerely, the facts we were getting from the opinion polls we were runningfrom our call centre and 'vox-pop' interviews with people on the streets were reallydamaging against them," Garrick said.
According to press reports, those arrested include: productionmanager Tony Abulu; reporters Richard Hasley, Opara Uche, and Handy Romeo Eze;video editor Kelvin Toryila; information technology specialists Lanre Ogunleye,Balogun Ehigie, and Kenneth Danpome; a logistics manager identified only asMathew; and driver Joe Epi.
At a press conference in the city of Benin yesterday, thehead of the Edo State branch of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, RolandOsakwe, said the union was "seriously embarrassed" to discover the detained menwere not journalists, and "disclaimed" them on behalf of the union "as a way ofsending a clear message to those who find it most convenient to impersonatemembers of the pen profession for pecuniary gains."
Asked about the NUJ's statement, three journalists at Watchdog Media'sAbuja officeandGarrick, the website's editor, today told CPJ that those detained were theircolleagues. Garrick said he wasplanning on bringing a defamation suit regarding Osakwe's comments on behalf ofthe NUJ.
Abdu Labaran, Masari's spokesman, denied that the statereported the blogger to the police, the reports said.
A magistrate court on September 22 said it had nojurisdiction in the case and remanded Mabai to prison pending a trial beforeanother court. Peter Israel, Mabai's lawyer, told CPJ that police charged Mabaiwith inciting disaffection against the government. In a second session today, themagistrate insisted on remanding Mabai to prison custody until the prosecution couldapply to try the case before a competent higher court, Israel said. Mabai remainsin state custody.
. Israel told CPJ that the two were released, pending trial,on September 27.
CPJ is an independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide.
No comments:
Post a Comment