TheNewsGuru

Tag: Journalist

  • Journalist drags DSS to court over alleged Illegal detention

    Mr Chido Onumah, a journalist and rights activist, on Wednesday, sued the Department of State Security Services (DSS), over alleged illegal detention.

    In a suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/1270/2019 filed by his Lawyer, Moses Ideh, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, Onumah sought the enforcement of his fundamental human rights to dignity of his person, right to personal liberty, freedom of expression and right to own personal property brought pursuant to Section 34, 35, 39, 41 and 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while Onumah is the applicant, Mr Bichi is the 1st respondent and the DSS as an agency is the 2nd respondent in the case.

    NAN reports that that Onumah was said to have been arrested recently by the DSS operatives at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, and detailed for several hours for wearing a T-shirt with the inscription: “We Are All Biafrans.”

  • Court softens journalist Abiri bail condition

    Court softens journalist Abiri bail condition

    The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday softened the bail conditions for a Bayelsa based journalist, Mr Jones Abiri.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on June 24, Abiri was arraigned on a three-count charge of terrorism, economic sabotage and fraud.

    Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu had earlier granted him N100 million bail with one surety in like sum, wherein she ordered that the surety must own a landed property in Abuja metropolis.

    Abiri was unable to meet the requirements to regain his freedom, forcing his counsel, Mr Samuel Ogala, to apply before the court to vary the bail terms.

    The judge, however, on Monday gave Abiri new bail conditions.

    In the varied bail terms, Ojukwu ordered one Mr Frederick Lokpobri, a level 14 officer of the Federal Ministry of Power who elected to stand as surety for Abiri, to swear to an affidavit.

    The judge ordered Lokpobri to swear to an affidavit of means commensurate with the bail sum earlier granted.

    He was also asked to in furtherance, deposit originals of the title documents of his landed property situated at the Nassarawa axis before the court registrar.

    Ogala in a motion dated Sept. 2 and filed on Sept. 3, informed the court that his client was unable to meet the previous bail conditions because Abiri knew no one with a landed property within Abuja metropolis.

    The Federal Prosecutor, Mr Bagudu Sani, opposed the bail application in a counter affidavit, urging the court to discountenance it.

    Counsel to Abiri, argued that the prosecution failed to adduce cogent reasons why the application for variation should not be granted.

    Ojukwu granted the bail application and adjourned the matter until Oct. 17 for trial.

    While addressing newsmen after the court proceedings, Ogala said he hoped Abiri would be released after perfecting the new bail conditions.

  • Police quiz journalist over report on ex-lawmaker

    Police quiz journalist over report on ex-lawmaker

    Barely two weeks after Police stray bullet killed Precious Owolabi a corper reporter of the Channels TV opposite the National Assembly Complex, another journalist, Oke Epia, Editor in Chief of Order Paper has been detained by police attached to the National Assembly.
    Epia who honoured the police invitation over an alleged false publication in his publication was seen at the presidential gate police station being interrogated by detectives.
    Journalists who visited to know what was happening to their colleague were politely asked to remain outside until interrogation is concluded.
    The police in a letter dated July 26 had invited him to appear today at the NASS police station.
    Without further information on the complaint, the letter noted that the gesture to Mr Epia is a fact-finding invitation.
    Mr Epia in a statement, however, believes that the invitation is part of attacks on his media house by Tony Nwulu, a former member of the House of Representatives.
    The relationship with the former legislator started after a publication prior to the 2019 general elections. The social media post profiled Rep members vying for either governorship or deputy governorship positions.
    In profiling Mr Nwulu, Order Paper said it reached out to the lawmaker to account for ‘missing funds and projects for Zonal Intervention Projects in the 2016 budget, a claim he is yet to respond to.’
    In his reaction on Twitter, Mr Nwulu branded the newspaper as fake, alleging that it never made an assessment of his stewardship.
    “Fake medium. No sensible person should take you guys serious. Tribal bigots. At least your faceless promoters should try running for office and effect the change the desire and not just being pathetic armchair critics hiding under a useless medium to extort,” he tweeted on his handle @tonynwulu.

    Threat to life

    In a statement on Friday, Mr Epia raised an alarm that he and his colleagues have received threats to their lives.
    He alleged that himself and other journalists in Order Paper have received threat calls directly from Mr Nwulu and strange calls and text messages from persons some of whom refused to identify themselves.

    The journalist was later released upon interrogation and written statement.

  • Media, civil society coalition warns Nwulu over harassment of journalists

    The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom has condemned the harassment of staff of OrderPaper Nigeria by ex-lawmaker, Tony Nwulu.
    Mr. Nwulu for over a week has mounted attacks against OrderPaper Nigeria over a story he considers unfavourable. He has been issuing threats to the publisher of the medium, Oke Epia.
    The coalition which OrderPaper is a member of, on Monday condemned the action of the former member in a press statement signed by 17 of its members.
    The group urged Mr. Nwulu to desist or face legal action and also described the action of the former House member “as a breach of the constitutional rights that allow journalists to do their lawful work.”
    The statement read in part: “The OrderPaper crossed paths with Hon. Tony Nwulu after publishing reports on constituency projects nominated in Honorable Nwulu’s name which he was unable to properly account for or provide explanations for the lapses.
    “Mr Nwulu was on record threatening Mr Epia and his organisation to “take you down” a chilling utterance that is a direct violation of the fundamental rights of Journalists to hold government officials accountable.
    “Journalists are under obligation, by the powers of Section 22 and section 39 of the Nigerian constitution, to hold people in government accountable to their oath of office and their pledge to their electorates.
    “The Coalition advises Honorable Nwulu to desist from further threats otherwise the coalition will be forced to pursue legal action against him.”
    The media houses and Civil Society Organizations in the coalition are: Premium Times, Sahara Reporters, The Cable, Daily Trust Newspaper.
    Others are Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Civic Media Lab, Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC).,International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), International Press Centre (IPC), Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), Paradigm Initiative, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), and HEDA Resources Centre.

  • Veteran Sports journalist, Akinloye Oyebanji, dies at 62

    Nigerian veteran sports journalist and retired Director Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Akinloye Oyebanj, has died at the age of 62.
    His family confirmed to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Oyebanji, passed on at National Hospital, Abuja, on Saturday morning after protracted battle with heart failure.
    Mr Bukoye Oyebanji and Dr Steve Olarinoye, family member and closed friend, disclosed that Oyebanji had been ill for almost four months now and the family had spent millions of naira to save his life without any improvement.
    They said some time ago, he had the misfortune of losing his kidneys, and they were replaced successfully through a transplant in India.
    “But one of the side effects of kidney transplant is heart failure, which he had experienced on two occasions and survived.”
    NAN reports that Oyebanji served the NTA for 35 years in different capacities, including being a sports broadcaster, and later as General Manager (Sports).
    He retired as Managing Director of NTA Properties at the authority’s headquarters in Abuja.
    Oyebanji, who hailed from Kwara, is survived by four children and a wife. (more…)

  • Gunmen attack Somali hotel, kill prominent journalist, 25 others

    At least 26 people, including a prominent journalist and several foreigners, have been killed in an attack on a hotel in southern Somalia.
    A suicide bomber rammed a car containing explosives into the Asasey hotel in the port of Kismayo, and gunmen then stormed the building
    Journalist Hodan Naleyah and her husband are thought to be among the dead.
    Islamist group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack.
    A local politician, three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans, and one Briton were also killed, authorities say.
    How did the attack unfold?
    Regional politicians and clan elders were inside the hotel discussing a forthcoming regional election when the attack began.
    Witnesses said they heard a huge blast before several heavily armed men forced their way in.
    “There is chaos inside, I saw several dead bodies carried from the scene and people are fleeing from the nearby buildings,” one witness, Hussein Muktar, said during the attack.
    It took several hours for authorities to regain control over the hotel.
    Regional President Ahmed Mohamed put the death toll at 26 with more than 50 people wounded. Four attackers were also killed in the raid.
    Who were the victims?
    Local media and a Somali journalists’ association said Nalayeh, 43, and her husband Farid were among the dead.
    Nalayeh founded the media platform Integration TV to tell stories about life in Somalia and in the Somali diaspora. Recent episodes had focused on Somalia’s female entrepreneurs and things to do in the city of Las Anod.
    She moved to Canada with her family when she was six years old and went on to become a figurehead of the Somali community there. But the mother of two had recently returned to Somalia.
    Tributes have been paid to her, with BBC journalist Farhan Jimale calling her “a beautiful soul” while Canada’s immigration minister Ahmed Hussen said she was a “voice for many”.
    The Somali Journalists Syndicate said that Nalayeh and another reporter also killed in Kismayo, Mohamed Omar Sahal, were the first journalists to be killed in the country this year.
    How common is this type of attack?
    Somalia sees frequent militant attacks but after al-Shabab was driven out of Kismayo in 2012 the port has been relatively peaceful.
    The militants have been carrying out regular attacks in the capital Mogadishu, despite the heavy presence of African Union peacekeepers and US-trained Somali troops.
    Al-Shabab is affiliated with al-Qaeda and remains a powerful presence in rural Somalia.

  • Again, DSS arrest Journalist Abiri in Bayelsa

    Again, DSS arrest Journalist Abiri in Bayelsa

    Four armed men suspected to be operatives of Directorate of Security Services (DSS) on Saturday whisked away a journalist, Jones Abiri, to an disclosed location.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abiri, the publisher of Weekly Source Newspaper, who was incaserated for two years on charges of terrorism in the past, was whisked away at about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

    According to eyewitnesses, Abiri was in company of some colleagues at his office at Azikoro junction of Yenagoa when the armed men arrived at the scene in a white Hilux Van and black Prado Jeep and forcibly dragged and pushed their victim into one of the vehicles and drove off.

    Austin Bodo, a journalist who witnessed the incident, said “we were sitting outside his office when a black Prado jeep and white Hilux drove into the premises in commando style.

    “As they packed, two men carrying the type of guns used by DSS operatives, jumped out of one of the cars and said Abiri was under arrest and immediately started dragging him and forced him into one of the cars and drove off.”

    Another witness, Mr. Bankole Abdulazeez, said “we were discussing national issues when the cars drove in.

    “Two armed men came out of the cars and without identifying themselves, they said you are under arrest and started dragging him.

    “They threatened to shoot anybody that tries to stop them.

    “I heard him shouting ‘what have I done again? what have I done again?’ Before they finally dragged him into one of the cars and drove off,” he said.

    When contacted, a DSS Official, who preferred anonymity, said: “I only heard of it from a journalist friend; I don’t think it is our men from here.”

  • Kidnapped journalist’s wife, three others regain freedom

    The wife of Suleiman Abubakar, the Nasarawa state chairman of the Correpondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists and three other women abducted along Gudi-Keffi Road on Wednesday, have regained their freedom.

    Samaila Usman, the Police Public Relations Officer in Nasarawa told journalists on Friday in Lafia that the victims were released by their captors at 9:45 pm on Thursday.

    Mr Usman attributed the release of the victims to sustained pressure from the search party deployed by the Commissioner of Police, Bola Longe.

    He said all the victims, including the wife of the journalist and wife of a former state lawmaker, were all National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.

    He said they had all been reunited with their families.

    However, the chairman of the correspondents chapel told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he paid ransom to secure the release of his wife.

    According to him, the abductors called him, using his wife’s cellphone and directed him to drop the money at a certain location along the same axis where the women were abducted.

    Mr Abubakar said, “I took the money to the said location as instructed and they further directed me to another location around Mandara Village to pick my wife.”

    He expressed gratitude to God for sparing the life of his wife from her captors.

    Gunmen on Wednesday attacked Mr Abubakar, his wife and others while they were travelling back to Lafia in the correspondent chapel’s official bus from Keffi, where he took his wife for registration at the NYSC orientation camp.

    Mr Abubakar said that he and others were able to escape from the gunmen but his wife, wife of a former state lawmaker and two other women were abducted by the gunmen.

    He said the abductors contacted him on Thursday demanding N5 million ransom and later reduced it to N2 million.

    He, however, did not disclose how much he eventually paid and it could not be ascertained if ransom was also paid for the release of other victims.

  • Kano Supplementary Poll: Investigate attack on voters, journalists, AI tells FG

    Kano Supplementary Poll: Investigate attack on voters, journalists, AI tells FG

    Human rights group, Amnesty International, has called on the Nigerian government to investigate the violent attack on voters and journalists during the supplementary governorship election in Kano State on Saturday.

    The group made the demand in a message posted on Twitter on Wednesday.

    “Amnesty International is calling Nigerian authorities @MBuhari @ProfOsinbajo to investigate allegations of widespread violence & intimidation unleashed on voters and journalists during Saturday’s re-run election in Kano.

    “The unprecedented violence in Kano also led to fatalities,” the group said through its Twitter handle@AmnestyNigeria.

    There were reports of widespread violence during the supplementary election in Kano.

    One report said some journalists covering the elections escaped being lynched by suspected thugs at Suntulma Primary School in Gama ward, Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state.

    Abdullahi Ganduje, the governor of Kano, who ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the election. But the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the election result.

    Several groups, including the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), said the election was characterised by violence and other irregularities.

    “Extensive electoral security problems were observed in some areas, with groups of men with weapons intimidating and obstructing the process, and security agencies ineffective at protecting citizens’ right to vote,” the EU said in its report.

    “In particular, parts of Kano were largely inaccessible to EU observers, and citizen observers and journalists were also obstructed. EU observers also witnessed increased interference by party agents and cases of vote-buying.”

  • Gunmen attack Nigerian journalist, abduct wife, three other women

    Gunmen on Wednesday attacked Suleiman Abubakar, Chairman of Correspondents’ chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Nasarawa state and abducted his wife, Yahanasu Abubakar.

    Mr Suleiman told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the incident happened at about 7 p.m. along Gudi-Garaku road in Akwanga Local Government Area of the state.

    According to Mr Suleiman, the gunmen shot at the union bus they were travelling in from Keffi, where his wife went to register at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp.

    He said the bus ran into a ditch after being shot at while the gunmen swooped on them, took his wife, the wife of a former state assembly member, who they gave a lift as well as two other women from another vehicle during the attack.

    Meanwhile, Samaila Usman, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, said the command had mobilised officers to the area to search and rescue the abducted women.