Earlier, Olatunji recounted his ordeal in the hands of his abductors, revealing that they were close to the government.
More details have emerged on the abduction of the editor of FirstNews Online Newspaper, Segun Olatunji as media stakeholders revealed how the Nigerian security agencies wanted to kill him and blame unknown gunmen.
Earlier, Olatunji recounted his ordeal in the hands of his abductors, revealing that they were close to the government.
Narrating his experience, Olatunji said that the hoodlums first put him in a cell where they cuffed his legs and hands for three days.
Gunmen in military uniform had kidnapped Olatunji when they invaded his residence at Iyana Odo, Abule Egba area of Lagos state, on March 15.
The editor who spoke during a press briefing organised by the leaderships of Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and International Press Institute (IPI), noted that he was still feeling the pains as a result of the chains.
The briefing was attended by Musikilu Mojeed, President, IPI Nigeria; Chris Isiguzo, President, (NUJ), and Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Secretary of NGE.
Disclosing how they learnt the secret plan to eliminate Olatunji, the secretary of Nigeria Guild of Editors, Uwugiaren, said for days, the leaderships of the IPI, the NGE and the NUJ frantically searched for Olatunji.
We interacted with the Presidency, the Nigeria Police Force (Lagos and Abuja), the Nigerian Army, the Defence Intelligence Agency, the Ministry of Interior, the Defence Headquarters, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, and the State Security Services (SSS)," he said adding that other security agencies were equally contacted but all of them claimed that he was not in their custody.
But all the efforts failed until last night," Uwugiaren said. "The military claimed the journalist was not in their custody. They lied to us and top government officials whose interventions we sought."
Regretting the development, Uwugiaren revealed that the action of the DIA made them wonder about its real intention.
"Our suspicion is that they planned to secretly eliminate Mr Olatunji so that members of the public could attribute his disappearance to unknown gunmen. But we are glad they failed."
However, on Monday, IPI Nigeria was able to determine (without doubt) that the journalist was being detained and tortured by the Defence Intelligence Agency in Abuja. The 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."
Continuing, he said: 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.
More so, the DIAs action is a direct attack on press freedom. One of the core missions of the free press is to serve as a watchdog on power. The press, as we all know, is the connection between the people and the government. If the press is not allowed to carry out its social and constitutional responsibilities but instead obligated to power, it simply serves as an extension of power."
He lamented that without freedom of the press, Nigeria''s democracy is endangered. "In the case of corruption, a free press is critical to exposing abuses of power. For sure, the media is not above the law, but in a democracy, the only way to determine wrong or right is through the legal process.
This is not the end of this matter. The Nigerian media community shall consult further in the next few days on the actions to take against the CDS, the CDI, and the military regarding this matter.
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