Soldiers Allegedly Abduct Journalist, Segun Olatunji Over Publication On Chief of Defence Office

Piqued by the attack on freedom of the press, the International Press Centre’s Centre for Safety and Protection of Journalists (I-CSPJ) and Amnesty International have demanded the immediate release of Mr Segun Olatunji, the Lagos-based Editor of First News and former Kaduna Bureau Chief of Punch Newspaper.

Over the weekend, Olatunji was illegally abducted by officers of the Nigerian Army at his Lagos home in the presence of his wife and children by 10 armed men, two of whom were dressed in military uniform, neglecting press freedom and infringing on his privacy rights.

The reason for his abduction reportedly follows the online publication revealing the alleged running of the Defence Chief’s office as a family. His abduction remains an infringement of human rights and an attack on press freedom.

Following his arrest, his family wrote an SOS letter to Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release Olatunji. The Nigerian is yet to make a statement over the abduction.

Also, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria HURIWA has called on the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, or the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, to release immediately or state publicly why Olatunji is being held.

About The Author

Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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