HUMAN RIGHTS-NIGERIA: More and More Journalists Arrested

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Wilfred Martins

ABIDJAN, Nov 11 1997 (IPS) - Nigerian media and human rights circles are worried by a spate of arrests of senior journalists in the West African nation, according to reports reaching here on Tuesday.

The reports stated that, in the past two weeks, no fewer than six journalists holding senior editorial positions have been detained by gun-totting securitymen acting on orders from the “Presidency”.

Three private magazine groups have been crippled by the yet unexplained arrests. They are the ‘African Concord’ owned by detained politician Moshood Abiola, who is the presumed winner of the annuled 1993 presidential elections, the ‘News’ and ‘Tell’.

In a statement faxed here from Lagos, the Tell management said that Onome Osifo-Whiskey, the magazine’s managing editor was Sunday arrested on his way to church in “a rambo-like fashion”.

The statement, signed by Deputy Editor-in-Chief Dele Omotunde, alleged that Osifo-Whiskey was on his way to church with his children in the Ikeja suburb of Lagos when he was blocked by three cars occupied by ten gun-totting men and a woman who identified themselves as coming from the Presidency.

“They then ordered him to come out of his car. He however pleaded with them to allow him take his children back home. They obliged. He made a U-turn and headed home followed by the convoy of three cars,” Omotunde’s faxed statement continued.

It added: “He was, however forced to abandon his car at the gate of his house and in the presence of the children, bundled into one of the security men’s car. He wanted to take his bible, a request the securitymen annuled initially. They later relented.”

Omotunde alleged that one of the distribution vehicles of the Tell company was towed to the Lagos headquarters of the State Security, copies of the magazine were seized and the offices were ransacked.

The arrest of Jenkins Alumona, Editor of the’News’ on Saturday was no less dramatic, IPS learnt. Alumona, who is in his early thirties, was arrested on the premises of the government-owned Nigerian Television Authority in Lagos.

The gender of Ladi Olorunyomi, a staff member of the News did not save her from rough treatment by securitymen, who arrested her at midnight in her home for not knowing the whereabouts of her boss, Bayo Onanuga, editor-in-chief of the News.

Olorunyomi, a mother of two whose husband has been in self- exile in the U.S. for two years, has however been released.

The arrest of Soji Omotunde, editor of the African Concord, could best be described as an abduction, according to media sources in Nigeria. Lewis Obi, editor-in-chief of the magazine, said Omotunde was abducted in broad-day light in the presence of bewildered onlookers.

What is unclear to media practitioners are the reasons for the arrests although, in recent months, two of the magazines have carried cover stories judged antagonistic towards Nigeria’s government, reliable sources confirmed by telephone from the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

In September, Tell’ and the ‘News’ Magazines alleged that military ruler Sani Abacha was seriously ill. Key government officials and Abacha himself later denied the reports.

The title of last week’s edition of the ‘Tell’ magazine was ‘Reign of Terror, Human Rights Abuse Worsens’ while this week’s cover story was titled “Why Abacha won’t hand-over?”

No official explanations have been given for the arrests although human rights NGOS have callled for the immediate release of the journalists.

In a petition to the National Human Rights Commission, the Centre for Free Speech asked the body to take urgent steps to investigate the arrest and detention of the journalists with a view to releasing them.

The Centre said their arrest was an abuse of their rights as guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution, which assures the ” dignity of the human persons and protection against torture, inhuman and degrading treatment”.

The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) called the arrests of the journalists “a reflection of the desperation of the regime to its self-succession agenda largely regarded as an impossibility in political analysis”.

” The CDHR and the Nigerian citizenry shall remain opposed to Gen Abacha until (he) honourably vacates the seat of government,” the statement said.

Several media have also commented on the issue in their editorials.

“The mode of arrest appear to signal a new phenomenon in law enforcement in Nigeria,” wrote the Nigerian Tribune on Monday. “it is difficult to imagine why the strange manner of arrests could be associated with state security personnel. By its nature it makes mysterious the motives and identities of the main actors”.

“Abduction as far as we know, is against the law. Those who enforce laws should operate within such laws or they would unwittingly breaking the structures on which they performed their tasks,” the Tribune said.

It concluded: “Extra legal devices may seem convenient and punitive but they only serve to worsen Nigeria’s public image and human rights record”.