The police in Lagos have detained Precious Eze, a journalist and publisher of News Platform for what they called an “offensive publication.”
This comes days after the police invited a Premium Times reporter over a planned report on a land dispute in Abuja.
Similarly, WikkiTimes had reported that the executive director of the International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Dayo Aiyetan and one of the journalists working with his platform were detained after they honoured police invitation over a publication.
The Recent Arrest
News Platform reported that a Lagos-based businessman and politician, Chris Odinaka Igwe, has accused its publisher of writing malicious reports against him.
Subsequently, police officers from Zone 2 Command, Lagos, picked up Mr Eze at his residence on May 27.
Three days later, the police arraigned him at Magistrate Court in Lagos on the allegation of offensive publications and threats of violence against Mr Igwe.
Mr Igwe, who the police said found the publication offensive, deployed the police to detain and prosecute Mr Eze even after the court struck out the case against him.
After the magistrate had struck out the case, on grounds of lack of merit, the police returned Mr Eze to custody and re-arraigned him before another magistrate on Friday, 31st May. The court adjourned the case to a future date in June.
SDNON Reacts
Reacting to the development, the Society of Digital Newspaper Owners of Nigeria, (SDNON) which attempted to secure his bail, said the action portrays continued efforts to silence the media by state and non-state actors striving to infringe on journalists’ fundamental human rights.
“This sequence of events is not just a personal ordeal for Precious Eze but a glaring assault on press freedom in Nigeria. The actions of the police, acting seemingly under the influence of a powerful individual, Prince Chris Odinaka Igwe, represent a blatant attempt to intimidate and silence the press. This undermines the very foundations of a democratic society, where journalists must be able to report freely and hold those in power accountable without fear of retribution,” the group stated.
“The Nigerian Constitution (1999), the Evidence Act (2011), and the ethical codes of the Nigerian Press Council Act (1992) are clear in their support for journalistic freedom and the protection of sources. The prolonged detention and legal harassment of Precious Eze stand in stark contrast to these protections and serve as a chilling reminder of the vulnerabilities journalists face in Nigeria”, it added.
It called on the judiciary, international community and press freedom advocates to uphold the principle of justice and press freedom and to be vigilant and support journalists threatened for carrying out their constitutional duties.
Lagos Police Keep Mum
The police spokesperson in Lagos Benjamin Hundeyin could not be reached for comment as he neither picked up calls nor responded to a text message sent to his contact. The Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, Zone 2, Durosinmi Olatoye, had not also responded to a message sent to as of press time.
The arrest and detention reflect the continuous attack on the press and independent media in discharging its constitutional responsibilities.
