By Haruna Salami
The arrest of Mr. Segun Olatunji, editor FirstNews from his house in Lagos Nigeria on March 15 2024 and the subsequent torture in what the trio of International Press Institute (NPI) Nigeria, Nigerian Gild of Editors (NGE) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) described as “kidnapping style” is anything but anti democracy.
Nobody knew his ware about as his captors left no trace for 14 days.
However, the road to freedom for Mr. Olatunji started when the IPI on Monday March 25 was able to determine (without doubt) that the journalist was being detained and tortured by the Defence Intelligence Agency in Abuja.
According to Iyobosa Uwugiaren Secretary, Nigerian Guild of Editors, spokesman for NGE, IPI and NUJ, at a joint press conference, “IPI then informed the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, of its finding and asked them to release our colleague immediately.
“We also provided that information to top government officials who also reached out to Generals Musa and Undiandeye. Again, they lied that the journalist was not in their custody. Yet our sources were telling us we needed to act fast to save our colleague from being killed.
“That was what culminated in the IPI Nigeria’s press statement of Wednesday March 27, which clearly accused the DIA of abducting and detaining Mr. Olatunji. Once that statement circulated in the media, the anti-democratic officers became jittery. They became even more confused after they became aware that the NGE, the NUJ, and the IPI had scheduled a follow-up press conference for Thursday morning, March 28.
“Knowing the game was up. they admitted their crime Wednesday night March 28. They confessed to the Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, that our colleague was in their custody and that they would release him immediately”, Uwugiaren said.
The manner of Mr. Olatunji’s release was equally bizarre. Narrating the scenario at the joint press conference, Secretary, NGE, Mr. Iyobosa Uwugiaren said on Thursday morning they called one of our colleagues, Mr. Yomi Odenuga to come to their facilities to sign paper for the release of Mr. Olatunji. About 7:30 am, Yomi Odenuga called me and said I needed to follow him to the facilities.
“As we were going, they called Yomi and asked us to wait for them in front of the Catholic Church, Asokoro. We were there. After some times, they called again and said we should move towards the DSS staff quarters. We were on our way going and they asked what car we were using and we told them we were using Prado black jeep. After some minutes, they asked us to stop and suddenly we saw their car, about four of them and Segun was inside that car.
“After some times, they said we should come and see Segun. We went there and saw Segun. They brought out two papers and said Yomi Odenuga should sign. He signed and they released Segun to us. In other words they behaved like kidnappers the way and manner Segun was released to us; not even in their office, along Asokoro expenses road under the bridge. For us, that is uncivilized way of doing things, especially under democracy. And they were hooded.
“All along, when Segun was interrogated, he was blindfolded and detained in DIA facility underground cell.
Narrating his ordeal in the hands of DIA, Mr. Olatunji thanked everybody who has helped one way or the other because according to him, “it was due to your efforts that these people were moved, if not I was kept incommunicado. Nobody knew where I was until this morning (Thursday ) when I was asked to call somebody and I called Yomi.
“On Friday March 15, I was in my house watching “Journalists Hangout” with my seven year old son. Suddenly, I saw soldiers bust into the sitting room. I looked up and saw behind them my wife and my one year old boy crying. I asked the officer who led them, who I later identified as Col. Lawal, if I could know his identity and what they were looking for.
He said “we are from the military and we are here to arrest you. Immediately, he seized my phones, he had earlier seized my wife’s phone.
“I said since I was wearing only boxer shorts, let me get inside the room and out on something. Then some of them also followed me into the room, then I took this shirt and trousers. Then they took me. By the time I got downstairs, I saw soldiers everywhere inside the compound, they were taking positions.
“When we got outside the gate, I saw they came with about three vehicles. All kinds of personnel: Army, Air Force, DIA and some others, all fully armed.
“Then they bundled me into a vehicle and we started going. At first I thought they were taking me to DMI Apapa. I was wondering if that place is still existing. Then when we went to the Air Force Base, they made a detour and entered the Base and took me straight to the front of the office of the National Air Defence Corps where we waited for about 3 hours for a military aircraft to come from Abuja to pick me.
“When the aircraft came, some one came to me and said give me your glasses. Before then they had handcuffed me. I gave the glasses and they puts blindfold on me and took me into the aircraft and we moved and we landed, I didn’t know it was Abuja.
“Immediately we landed, they took me to their office and put leg cuffs. I wondered if I have been named a coupist and I was detained in DIA underground cell 9.
In addition to the stories which offend the CDS, Mr. Olatunji said his captors also mentioned terrorism. “I don’t know what they meant by that. I’m a journalist. They came to my house. I don’t have more than kitchen knife. They saw everything, so I don’t know where terrorism came into this. I don’t understand at all. That is why I said my life is not safe at all.
“If they can come up with such a heinous accusation, then I wonder where they are actually going”.
The trio of IPI, NGE and NUJ commended the role played by the Minister of Information and National Orientation and other top officials of government towards the resolution of this matter, adding that “these reckless and anti-media officers, who apparently have no respect for civilian authorities, lied to and disobeyed officials of the federal government who intervened.
“We are sure that many right-thinking members of society, including the international community, are both amazed and shocked by the lawlessness and fear-provoking action of the DIA – an agency under the command of Major General Undiandeye, who reports directly to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Musa”.
They made it clear that although Segun has been released, it is not yet Uhuru as media stakeholders, in addition to calling on President Tinubu to deal with the anti democratic military officers, they have kept the option of legal action against the CDS and CDI and every other options open.
