A coalition of Nigeria’s leading media and civil society groups have issued an ultimatum demanding government action after the country’s military carried out a shocking attack on a journalist.
The groups condemned the “gestapo-like, unlawful and unconstitutional treatment of a journalist under a constitutional democracy simply for doing his job”, and demanded the government investigate and those responsible for the attack be punished within 14 days.
The groups making the demands include the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Press Organisations, Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Nigeria Union of Journalists and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers.
The local branch of the International Press Institute, as well as the Lagos-based International Press Centre also condemned the attack and demanded action by the authorities.
FirstNews editor Segun Olatunji was forcefully taken away from his Lagos home in March by uniformed men who refused to explain to his family who they were and where he was taken to. Mr Olatunji remained missing for weeks as security agencies, including the police and the military, denied they held him.
The disappearance sparked fears the journalist might have been abducted by criminals in a country with a high incidence of kidnapping.
Two weeks later, it became clear Mr Olatunji was taken by the military’s intelligence unit, the Defence Intelligence Agency, and held incommunicado. He was only released after campaign by media organizations.
Mr Olatunji said he was blindfolded and flown from Lagos to Abuja, where he was stripped, chained and brutalized. He said he was questioned about stories his platform published about the chief of defence, Chris Musa, and the chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The government has not commented since Mr Olatunji was released.
A throwback to dark military days
The brazen attack has shocked Nigerians who have drawn parallels with the methods used by soldiers in their attempts to silence journalists during the military era, which ended 25 years ago.
The media groups slammed the military leadership for lying when they claimed Mr Olatunji was not with them. They demanded that all persons within and outside the military connected with the attack, including those who effected Mr. Olatunji’s arrest, detention and torture, those who directly commanded them, and those who ordered or instigated the action, be prosecuted.
They criticised Major Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye, the chief of defence intelligence, and the defence chief, Gen. Musa, over the arrest.
“We hereby demand a speedy, public, transparent and independent investigation into this act of barbarism displayed by military personnel as well as the brazen disregard for the Constitution and the Government’s obligations under relevant domestic laws and international instruments,” the groups said in a statement on Monday.
The groups demanded a public apology and compensation for the physical and psychological trauma inflicted upon Mr Olatunji.
They gave the government 14 days to comply with their demands, threatening to pursue “all available mechanisms at the national, regional and international levels” if action was not taken.
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