In a month when the world observed Press Freedom Day, Nigerian journalism faced yet another attack. The Explainer learnt that on Wednesday, the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Globalupfront Newspaper (Online), Mr. Madu Onuorah, was whisked away by men of the Nigerian Police Force around 6 pm.
According to a statement by the online outfit, 10 fully-armed policemen stormed Onuorah’s residence in Lugbe, Abuja, in two Sienna buses. The statement made available to The Explainer from the management of Globalupfront Newspapers said the journalist was arrested in the presence of his wife and children.
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The statement read: “The police have seized Mr. Onuorah’s phones, thereby completely cutting him off from communication with people, including his family members. He was not even allowed to contact his lawyer or any of his relations before he was whisked away to the Lugbe police station by the stern looking operatives.
“To make sure Mr. Onuorah did not get attention or bail, the policemen who arrested him, though not of the Lugbe Police Station, simply dumped him at the Station and left no traces for friends and family members to reach them.”
The Management of Globalupfront Newspapers has therefore demanded Onuorah’s immediate and unconditional release. It said: “Mr. Onuorah is an experienced Journalist, former Abuja Bureau Chief of The Guardian Newspaper, former Managing-Director of The AUTHORITY Newspaper, who operates within the ambit of the law.”
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“That anybody who has any issue against Mr. Onuorah should approach the law court and not turn the Nigerian Police into a Gestapo outfit that bullies a man in the presence of his wife and children.”
The management also emphasized that any second Onuorah spends in police custody constitutes a serious infringement against his fundamental rights and a continuation of the assault on freedom of expression that has become a frequent occurrence in Nigeria recently. The Explainer understands that Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Guild of Editors, and media houses have been notified of the the arrest of Onuorah without a warrant.
