The police command of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has urged the management of the Premium Times and the Nigerian Army to resolve and settle their dispute peacefully.
FCT Police Commissioner, Mohammed Mustafa, spoke yesterday in reaction to the arrest of Publisher of Premium Times, Dapo Olorunyomi and Judiciary correspondent, Evelyn Okakwu on Thursday.
The two journalists, who returned to the Police Command Headquarters on Friday, have been released on bail by the police.
Mustapha appealed to the two parties to settle their differences amicably and out of court.
He counselled the military and the media on the need to sustain mutual relationship towards protecting national security and interest.
Plain-clothed security officers, acting on a criminal defamation complaint filed by Usuagwu Ugochukwu, a lawyer who said he was representing Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, stormed the newspapers office in Thursday.
Ugochukwu claimed in his complaints that by its alleged defamation of Mr. Buratai, the paper’s reporting was “unpatriotic” and amounted to supporting and furthering Boko Haram’s terror campaign in the Nigerian north-eastern zone.
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