LEADERSHIP newspaper, based in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, has said that four of its staff summoned by the police on Monday today, are being detained on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Outrage has greeted the development which analysts describe as a return to the dark era of the military which witnessed routine hounding of journalists.
The paper, sensing danger is ensuring the public that it will be abreast with the situation by issuing regular updates on its website.
In the meantime, its management has released a statement which is re-produced below:
“Four journalists with LEADERSHIP Newspapers have been detained at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“The journalists, Mrs. Chinyere Fred-Adebulugbe; Mr. Tony Amokeodo; Mr. Chibuzor Ukaibe; and Mr. Chuks Ohuegbe, had reported at the Force Headquarters on Monday morning to honour an invitation by the police.
“The Director, Human Capital and former LEADERSHIP Sunday Editor, Mrs. Fred-Adegbulugbe, who led the journalists said, “After the journalists finished writing statements, DIG Peter Gana suddenly excused himself on a call from IGP Mohammed Abubakar.
“We were later told that we would not be allowed to leave except if we produced the source of the story. It was clear that this was not the call of the police. It is from President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We told them that it would be unethical to disclose our source and asked them to charge us to court, if they wanted. They said they wanted to have the document. We said the bromide had been published and wondered why they were making such a fuss, since they said the document was a work of fiction.
“The have made it clear that we would not be released except we give them the document. We can’t get out. I was escorted to use the toilet after begging.”
“This is a calculated and brazen affront on press freedom; we are bereft that a supposedly elected government will come this low.
“We demand the unconditional and immediate release of our journalists – Mrs. Chinyere Fred-Adebulugbe (Director, Human Capital); Chuks Ohuegbe (Managing Editor); Tony Amokeodo (Group News Editor); and Chibuzor Ukaibe (Political Reporter).
“President Jonathan and his handlers need to tell Nigerians and the civilised world why they have suddenly moved from describing the document as “fiction,” to a do-or-die obsession with knowing the source; they need to tell Nigerians most of who now live in mortal fear of their personal safety and security, if clamping down on the press has now become a priority sport.
“On our part, we wish to restate our resolve to continue to hold the government to account as enshrined in Chapter 22 of the constitution and to remain resolute in championing the course of press freedom and the right of the people to know.
“We stand by our story and will neither be cowed nor intimidated by the strong-arm tactics of President Jonathan nor by the puerile attempts by his spokesmen – Doyin Okupe and Dr. Reuben Abati – to tarnish our report.
Azubuike Ishiekwene Group Managing Director LEADERSHIP Group Limited
Earlier on Monday, the paper in its online edition published a story with the headline: Jonathan Unleashes Police On Leadership.
Below is the report:
In what observers have described as “portents of a dangerous phase,” President Goodluck Jonathan has bared his fangs against the media by unleashing the police on LEADERSHIP over a recent exclusive story on a “presidential directive” targeting the opposition and containing plans to raise petrol prices, among other things.
Between Wednesday when the newspaper first published the story and yesterday, police officers have visited the newspaper’s head office in Abuja three times, demanding to see the journalists who wrote the story.
The psychological siege climaxed yesterday with a summons to the newspaper to appear at Force Headquarters in Abuja this morning.
“It is an irony that Jonathan who, as vice president, benefitted from this newspaper’s principled stand when the cabal under President Umaru Yar’Adua tried to block him from assuming power, is now using the same discredited rulebook to intimidate the press. This strong arm tactics will not work,” a media observer said yesterday.
In a letter dated April 7, 2013 of CR:3000/X/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.49/34 and signed by one Danlami Mohammed, a Deputy Commissioner of police (DCP), Administration, entitled: “Investigation Activities Police Invitation”, the police authorities summoned the trio of our group news editor Tony Amokeodo and two correspondents, Chibuzor Ukaibe and Taiwo Ogunmola-Omilani, to report to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police ‘D’ Department today over the said story.
The letter was addressed to the chairman, LEADERSHIP Group Limited.
The letter reads in part: “This office is investigating the circumstances leading to your Front Page publication entitled, “Outrage Trails Presidential Directive On Tinubu, APC” and a sub-title captioned
‘Bromide of the Presidential Directive.’ Based on our fact finding efforts, you are hereby requested to release the above mentioned reporters to interview the Deputy Inspector General of Police ‘D’ Department (FCID) on Monday, 8th April, 2013 at 1000hours.”
In the presidential directive, dated March 26, 2013, and exclusively published by LEADERSHIP, Jonathan had hinted at plans to target the business interests of the ACN national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and to frustrate the merger of the opposition parties at all costs.
He had said in the directive that petrol prices would be increased from the present N97 per litre to between N130 and N140, but that public opinion should first be gauged on the matter.
In response to the rapid-fire denials by presidential spokesmen, Dr. Doyin Okupe and Dr. Reuben Abati, LEADERSHIP said it stood by its story and would not be intimidated by Jonathan’s attempt to curb press freedom.
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