A team of soldiers reportedly from the 144 Battalion, Asa, Ukwa West local council, Abia State, yesterday invaded a newspaper office along St. Michael’s Road, Aba and seized copies from vendors.
The soldiers, who arrived in two Hilux vans in the area which serves as the hub of newspaper business in Aba, at about 7am, packed the papers and vowed to arrest those behind the newspapers, eyewitnesses told Vanguard.
“At about some minutes past seven, soldiers in two Hilux vans arrived this place (St. Michael’s) with one of the vendors, asking to know who publishes or supplies the newspapers,” one of them said.
“The newspapers they confiscated were New Republic, Vesym, Freedom Journal and some copies of Authority newspapers that carried Biafra stories.
“They packed all of them into their van and promised to come back,” the eye witnesses said.
A publisher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, condemned the action of the military and denied that pro Biafra newspapers incite hatred among the people.
He said, “no amount of efforts by the military to gag the press will work. We are publishing reports about Biafra like other national dailies do.
“Let the military go and close down all the media houses because they are carrying Biafra stories, after all, we are not the only people publishing stories on Biafra.” .
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