Leadership (Abuja)
Prince Charles Dickson and Emmanuel Iffer
17 November 2008
Abuja — Interrogation of the chairman and top editors of the LEADERSHIP group continued throughout the weekend.
Yesterday, the police authorities again subjected the chairman, Mr Sam Nda-Isaiah, and Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, editor of this paper, to hours of interrogation at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The chairman and the editor of LEADERSHIP WEEKEND, Lara Olugbemi, had gone through the same experience on Friday and Saturday at the State Security Service (SSS) headquarters: they were held for upwards of eight hours each day.
Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution which states as follows: "The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people."
He noted that the current siege on the Leadership by the State Security Service (SSS) is the latest in recent cases of intolerance displayed by the Yar'Adua administration towards the press.
"Not long ago, we witnessed the unjust closure of Channels TV, when a simple refutal of the story by the Presidency would have sufficed," he said.
He recalled the recent arrest and detention of Jonathan Elendu and Emmanuel Asiwe, both on-line journalists. Their offence(s) have not been made known, neither were they charged to court for any offence, said Keyamo.
"The irresistible conclusion we can draw is that the Yar'Adua administration has refused to be an OPEN REGIME where the flow of information is always guaranteed, leading to all kinds of speculations by the press".
He noted that the monthly media chat during the Obasanjo's regime, where burning issues were addressed, has disappeared from the President's agenda.
Keyamo said that the President's media advisers have failed the expectations of the Nigerian public and the international community.
He called on all Nigerians and the press to stand up and resist these unconstitutional restrictions and actions by the Yar'Adua administration against the before it is too late.
Also, the Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA), yesterday in strong terms condemned what it called the serial harassment unleashed on Nigerian media workers by the security operatives especially the SSS and asserted that the actions of the security operatives are undermining the smooth growth of durable democracy, respect for the human rights of Nigerians and the rule of law.
The rights group, which spoke through its national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Owubiko, singled out the ongoing arrests and interrogations by the SSS of some senior editors of LEADERSHIP in connection with a recent report carried in its Saturday edition regarding the health of President Yar'adua.
The group, however, advised journalists to always crosscheck their facts before going to press.
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