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| Ogundipe |
The Online media
practitioners association of Nigeria (OMPAN) in totality have condemns the
continued detention of Premium Times reporter, Samuel Ogundipe who was arrested
on Wednesday by SARs now (FSARs) for carrying out his official duties.
Below is the press release signed
by the PRO of OMPAN, Ismaila Yahaya Kana and made available to
globalnewsalerts.
“Online Media Practitioners
Association of Nigeria is shocked at the arrest of Samuel Ogundipe of
PremiumTimes, and condemns strongly, his continued detention by the Nigerian
police for refusing to give up his sources.
OMPAN joins other well meaning
local and international organization to call for his immediate and
unconditional release as well as unfreezing of his account.
OMPAN wonders why only Samuel
Ogundipe was singled out for this unlawful, evil and undemocratic arrest when
so many online and print media houses carried the story in question.
It is very strange that in a
country that claims to be practicing democracy, a member of the fourth realm
can be arrested and detained by the police without provocation.
OMPAN wants to stress that Mr
Samuel Ogundipe was well within his rights to report the said letter and should
not be held responsible for the inability of the Nigerian Police to manage its
confidentiality or put a tight lid on all the sensitive documents it wants to
keep away from the public.
The fact that Mr Samuel
Ogundipe was exercising his constitutionally protected right as a journalist
can never be overemphasized and not even the Nigerian police has the power to
take that away from him.
OMPAN notes with chagrin that
Nigeria is fast becoming a Banana republic because of the high handedness of
the police and other security agencies and this is not acceptable in a
democratic dispensation.
OMPAN wants to state very
clearly that Nigerians can no longer tolerate this Military Junta style that
the police is adopting to silence reporters and starting with the immediate and
unconditional release of Samuel Ogundipe, the police must desist from further
embarrassing Nigeria in the eye of the international community.
The Nigerian police has already
inflicted a great deal of pain on innocent and law abiding Nigerians already
and this must stop!
OMPAN recalls how SARS officers
arrested, molested and compelled its members in Owerri to pay a huge bribe
before matching them to an ATM to withdraw the bribe money or risk being
implicated to a crime. But for the resourcefulness of the Journalists in
procuring incontrovertible pictorial evidence of that event, they probably
would have been held in similar fashion as Samuel Ogundipe.
This is unacceptable. The
police must as a matter urgency retrace its footsteps and toe the path of
civility and service to humanity as is commensurate with their profession the
world over.”
Rather than explain the unjust detention of the journalist
amidst global calls for his release, however, the police spokesperson, Jimoh
Moshood, said he is not aware of the details of the arrest.
Mr Moshood, who spoke when
asked by a presenter on AIT programme, Kakaaki, however, said no Nigerian is
beyond being arrested by the police when an investigation is being carried out.
“I am not aware of the details
of the matter. But what I can say is that any Nigerian, whether a journalist or
any member of the public can be invited by an investigating officer to come
around so that he or she can clear themselves of any allegations against them.
Since you are telling me now, I will find out exactly what is happening,” Mr
Moshood said.
Officials at the police headquarters told PREMIUM TIMES that the
directive to detain the journalist came directly from the Inspector General of
Police who is said to be angry at this newspaper’s critical reporting of his
activities.
Many Nigerians, activists,
lawyers and groups have called for the unconditional and immediate release of
the reporter who is still in detention.
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