Gunmen suspected to be soldiers on Friday abducted the Editor of FirstNews and former Kaduna Bureau Chief of The PUNCH, Segun Olatunji.
He was picked at his home in
the Iyana Odo, Abule Egba area of Lagos State.
The management of the online
Newspaper linked the action to a recent story published by FirstNews titled,
"Revealed: "Defence Chief running office like family business -
Public Interest Lawyers", published by many other online platforms.
But the management also linked
his abduction to another report titled, "EXCLUSIVE: How contractor,
company stole N100bn, laundered funds for top govt officials - Investigation",
which was later pulled down.
The arrest has thrown panic
among staff of the Newspaper.
His wife, Abiodun Olatunji,
said the armed men numbering ten arrived at their residence, a few minutes
after 6pm and whisked her husband away without leaving any information behind
as to where they were taking him to.
She said her husband's
abductors reached for his phone and seized it immediately they arrived before
bundling him into a van like a common criminal and zoomed off.
While further narrating the
incident, she said efforts to know his offence or where they were taken him to
were rebuffed by the stern-looking men.
"Some armed men dressed in
military uniform totaling ten in number (two in uniform and the remaining 8 in
mufti but all armed) arrived at our residence at Dauda Oriyomi street, Iyana
Odo along Joke Ayo in Abule Egba area of Lagos State and took away my husband.
"They refused to state his
offence and where they were taken him to despite all the efforts to make them
do so", she said.
The Publisher of FirstNews, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, who also confirmed the incident, said there has been no trace of Olatunji, as his phone line has been switched, neither has anyone reached the family or the management of FirstNews to disclose the real reason behind his abduction.
While condemning the way and
manner Olatunji was whisked away, Iworiso-Markson stated that he was never
invited formally to answer any issue that bothered on national security.
"The management of
FirstNews is using this opportunity to call on the military high command and
the security agencies to let us know his whereabout and the reason why he was
arrested.
"FirstNews (online &
print) is a reputable independent digital news network that prides itself on
being a frontline media outfit committed to engaging her world-class audience
with factual, authentic, and credible information.
"We conduct our journalism
activities with strict observance of the high standards of ethics,
accountability, professionalism and legality, while exercising our rights to
freedom of expression and information, all in a bid to ensure credible reporting
of the news behind the news in Politics, Business, Education, Sport, Health,
Entertainment and many more.
"If there was any
infraction that bothers on national security, Olatunji should have first been
formally invited rather that this gestapo style of arrest that reminds of the
dark days of the military era, where press freedom was stifled".
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