By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Editor of First News, Mr Segun Olatunji, who was whisked away on March 15, 2024, by military personnel in his home in the Alagbado area of Lagos State, has regained his freedom.
About a dozen security officials dressed in military uniforms raided the residence of the journalist nearly two weeks ago to arrest him in the presence of his family over a news report on his platform.
This abduction of the journalist in a Gestapo style attracted reactions from various organisations, including the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), which called for his immediate release.
Reports reaching Business Post indicate that Mr Olatunji has now been released by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) after spending about 12 days in custody.
He was handed over to the General Secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mr Iyobosa Uwugiaren, and a Deputy Editor at The Nation, Mr Yomi Odunuga, in Abuja.
Mr Olatunji once worked with the Punch as its correspondent in Kaduna State.
His arrest by the military forced the NUJ to call on the Nigerian government in a statement to “protect freedom of the press and freedom of movement for media professionals.”
The group said, “The disappearance of Segun Olatunji, the editor of First News newspapers, is another sad reminder of the danger being faced daily by journalists in the line of duty.”
Narrating how he was picked up, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a statement that, “Three days before he was taken, armed men approached a local security guard and showed him a photo of Olatunji, asking for his whereabouts. When the guard could not provide sufficient details, the men instructed him to use his phone to call a number they provided.
“The number connected to Oluwakemi’s phone, and the guard asked her questions about admission to a local university, which made no sense.
“She was confused and bothered by the call and, after contacting him again, learned from the security guard that the armed men had followed him over the days between, making him place the call and Olatunji being taken.”
“The seizure of journalists from their homes is behaviour reminiscent of an era in Nigerian history when the military ran the country and has no place in a modern democracy,” stressing that, “Olatunji’s arrest by armed men identifying themselves as officers with the Nigerian army is totally unacceptable.”