The Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) is very worried about the kidnapping of journalist Stanley Ugagbe by security agents.
Reports say Ugagbe was taken shortly after Secret Reporters, the online news site he works for, published an investigative story.
Four unknown men reportedly abducted the journalist from his home in Abuja on Wednesday.
Fejiro Oliver, the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Secret Reporters, claimed that Nigeria Police Force officers carried out the operation while Ugagbe was coming back from an official training program.
Oliver said:
"They took him to his house and went to his room in Jikwoyi to seize his official laptop and phone before whisking him away to an unknown location.
Our lawyer and editor, along with a senior reporter, searched the former SARS facility, the FCT Police Command and the Force Headquarters without finding him. Another reporter visited the Jikwoyi and Karu police stations to check if the officers involved had written anything about their operation, but found no record. They also looked in the detention facilities at both stations, and he was not there."
As of now, no one knows where Ugagbe is.
IPI Nigeria strongly condemns how he was arrested and that he is being held without communication. He has been denied access to his family, legal representatives and employer, which goes against the rights guaranteed to every Nigerian by the Constitution.
As Nigeria faces serious security issues, it is alarming that security agencies still engage in illegal arrests and detention that ignore constitutional protections and due process.
The ongoing criminalization of legitimate journalism by security agencies harms press freedom and the rule of law. It also hurts the democratic image and international standing of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government.
IPI Nigeria is urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to instruct the relevant security agencies to quickly reveal Ugagbe’s location, explain the legal reasons for his arrest, allow him access to his lawyers and family, and if there is real evidence of a crime, either charge him in court or release him without delay.
Under Nigeria’s Constitution, every accused person is innocent until proven guilty by a court. Keeping Mr. Ugagbe locked up for a long time without a legal reason violates his fundamental rights.
IPI Nigeria warns against the growing trend of using security forces to intimidate, harass or silence journalists for doing their jobs. Anybody who thinks they have been wronged by a publication can seek legal remedies through the courts. Using arrests and intimidation instead of proper legal processes has no place in a democracy.
We also call on the Inspector-General of Police and heads of other security agencies to make sure that their officers follow the law and do not interfere in issues that are civil in nature.
A free press is crucial for democracy.
Journalism is not a crime.
Ahmed I. Shekarau
Secretary, IPI Nigeria
Tobi Soniyi
Legal Adviser/Chair, Advocacy Committee
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇