THE UNLAWFUL DETENTION OF A JOURNALIST FOR NINE DAYS WITHOUT FOOD,AND NOT CHARGING HIM FOR ANY OFFENCE IS A BREACH OF THE RULE OF LAW,AS WELL AS THE VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL STANDARD OF HUMAN RIGHTS.WHY SHOULD OUR GOVT. PERMIT THIS TYPE OF TREATMENT ON A CITIZEN OF THE WORLD.THIS IS THE TYPE OF THING FOR WHICH WE BLAME MILITARY GOVTS.WHY SHOULD OUR DEMOCRATIC GOVT.AT ABUJA ALLOW ITS NAME TO BE SO DRAGGED TO THE MUD WHEN OTHER AFRICAN DEMOCRACIES EXPECT MUCH FROM NIGERIA? WHEN THEY FIND NOTHING TO CHARGE MR ENENDU FOR THEY HAVE TURNED ROUND TO CHARGE HIM OF MONEY LAUNDERING THIS IS FONNY !! Mazianyaogu writes from USA.

While I do not subscribe to the illegal detention of any human being being I could be a victim too one day, I take exception to some of the things that the online media has been used to do to both individuals and institutions in Nigeria. Journalism is a sacred and prized art that has ensured freedom for human societies notably in South Africa, Germany, United States of America and other places. Even in Nigeria it played great role in gaining our independence. Therefore, it has become absurd to see increasing number of people quickly rush to open websites for the pure purpose of being paid to damage the integrity of individuals and Government. For several years, some of us have fought against repressive rule and the interests of human rights but our efforts has been tarnished by some particular website publishers who have been using their websites to haunt the political opponents of those who pay them-what one online publisher called Political Consultancy. Though, I seriously pray that the rule of law should be upheld in the sace of Jonathan Elendu but I strongly recommend that afterwards, we should use the same energy we are using to fight for his freedom, to also disparage him and his kind when they continue practice journalism at the behest of politicians. For those who may not understand my grievances here, I would advise you to carefully study some practitioners of the online media and you would notice that they hardly publish any damaging reports against certain people. That is not true journalism. Again, they never see anything good in the Government. Though the present Government has its weaknesses, there is no doubt that it has done several commendable things yet these websites would never publish or support such developments because it will contravene the interests of those who pay them. May God guide us all.

Malam Tarry-A-Doer, are we supposed to be scared & shaking in our boots as a result of this latest development? How many Elendus are you going to arrest? B4 you blink, your prison will be overflowing with all the truth seekers that refuse to dance to your tune of dictatorship, while the real criminal gangsters of pickpockets & armed robbers are roaming the streets of Abuja free as jailbirds calling themselves “honorable” and “excellencies”. If you are not familiar with the Nigerian Constitution – as flawed as it is, I would suggest you go revisit the section that deals with the public’s freedom of expression. Even the military rulers were not as oppressive as you’ve turned out to be within a span of 17 months, so far, of what is supposed to be a civilian administration operating what is supposed to be a democracy. If this is democracy then what manner of a monster are you going to be by your 4th and final year? Since the National Assembly is yet to pass the FoI bill, then anything goes – even if it is rumor since we operate in a lawless society that do not uphold the Rule of Law, except for your hubris. I would also suggest you look in your dictionary for the definition of the word “sedition”, if that is the basis for Mr. Elendu’s unwarranted arrest. If you have any work to do on behalf of Nigerians, I am sure you wouldn’t find time to be engaged in this mindless but wanton abuse of power. Could somebody please find some work for this dude? How about the Minister of the Niger Delta – your one and only brainchild? You better release that patriot called Elendu b4 the wrath of the people descend on you and your worthless Ministers.

Kaparah, I am less concerned with the travails of jonathan elendu because am sure the rule of law will prevail. If he is guilty, we will eventually know, if not we will also know. What am concerned with is the poor moral standards some us critics continuously exhibit. An objective mind will attack the truth no matter whose interest is gored. How objective have we been in relation to the President as well as the online media. Perhaps, we do not know the magnitude of the insult that has been traded on the President's person. My grievances against President Yarádua's style subsist but what is been done in segments of the online media is utterly reprehensible and must be exposed as such. Nigerians know how to make money from awkward circumstances. Those of us with connections to the local media are fully aware that truly some particular websites publishers are being paid to run down politicians, Federal and State Governments. As objective critics, we must not only make the Government to sit to right standards, we must castigate publications that are irresponsible and immoral. If we do not believe in this, then there is nothing wrong if I even use this medium to call whom I feel including Kaarah a naive, ignorant, ill-informed thief. Yet if I were to do that, it would contravene the Commenting guidelines of this platform and may cost me my subsequent access. This is the level of responsibility we demand from online media but we may not get it because some people will stop making evil money. I urge the kind of Kaparah to shed their ideological grievances against the system and judge issues on purely passionate and moral standards. Shola writes from Nigeria

Hello Sholatogun, thank you for your well thought-out admonishment to my write up. In fact, I will strongly encourage you to call me whatever you like “including Kaarah a naive, ignorant, ill-informed thief”. At least you mentioned me by name and you didn’t generalize that “ALL Nigerians are ignorant, ill-informed thief” as we in Diaspora are proned to be blamed for the dastardly act of our home govt including their 419 kingpin hiding out in the Senate. But of course, you are free to defend the same hooligans that ran this wealthy country into a ditch of poverty in all its 48 years of independence. If the poor masses (99.9% of the 145+million Nigerians) are too cowed (afraid and spineless) to challenge the status quo elite of less than 5,000 of you, I would rather choose to be on the side of the poor & the helpless so you can call me whatever you like. If you would like to know what makes me into the monster that I am today, you need to know where I am coming from: I left Nigeria in 1981 and did not return until 2005. The way of life that I saw upon my return was shocking and what is most disturbing to me was how helpless the everyday Nigerians were about changing their plight – it’s like they were being held hostage by their own govt. When a governor (Yerima by name who stole billions yet wound up as a Senator) threatened to fire any govt official that dares to criticize Malam Tarry-A-Doer’s policy, or when I heard of a former governor by the name of Yerima who stole billions yet wound up as a Senator – that was enough for me to go ballistic. Where in the world do a democratically elected president, and a bad one at that, is immune from public criticism. What I saw in 2005 was worse than the Nigeria I left behind in 1981 when we had Trains running from Lagos to Sokoto and from Sokoto to Port-Harcourt back to Lagos on time, when I flew to NY with pride via Nigeria Airways, when neighborhoods schools were cleaner and competitive and govt was functional. You said you live in Nigeria, there-fore, you may be blind to your neighbor’s abject poverty (wherein primary school kid were carrying their own chairs and desks on thier heads in a roundtrip from home to school everyday), in order to worm your way up the pecking ladder even if I don’t know if that is true, however, one thing I know is that you will be enraged too if you witnessed what I saw 2 weeks ago when I came home to celebrate my Dad’s 89th birthday. I am sure you will weep if you were in my shoes and consider being your brothers’ keepers and having to realize that being nice online is not going to cut it to make things right. There isn’t much I can do for my neighbors here but to name and shame those who think that the act of public service is to run roughshod on those who are too weak or too poor to defend themselves & challenge their oppressors. So do your thing, shola, and let me do and say as I please. Change doesn’t come by sitting down and doing nothing. Evrybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die - I would rather die than live like a henpeck in my own country. If the ruling elites are not shy about stealing public funds or not ashamed of being called the most corrupt govt in the world, then I am justified in calling them all the hateful things known to man. They have developed a thick skin to such so what do you care if I call them what they truly are "pickpockets and armed-robbers", if I may quote our honorable Speaker, Bankole. I am deeply disturbed by those that generalized that ALL Nigerians are corrupt when we know who they are. In my neighborhood, that is a fighting word that requires open warfare until you recant. Unfortunately, you don’t care and that is the difference between us. Good luck, Mr. nice guy!

I go with the idea of joeligile. Many of us derive joy from castigating people without any concern for the truth. Yes! Jonathan elendu is being detained under circumstances that are not quite clear but one thing is clear-his publications have fallen short of humane responsibility and he is not the only one in that direction. In recent times, some of us with connections to the local media has become increasingly worried by the antics of some website publishers who really collect huge sums in order to run down rival politicians and State as well as Federal Governments. Many times when they refuse to let that money, 'spread around' the local media will refuse to republish those contents that have been sponsored by certain politicians. Though we would continue to urge for elendu's release or timely prosecution as the case might be, we will never relent in exposing the shady practices and ignoble level they have reduced the online media to. For us critics, let us not stop at making Government sit up-let us extend our moral obligations to attacking those who make money by exploiting our gullibility for political benefits.