Soldiers seize pro-Biafra newspapers in Aba
Thu Mar 17, 2016 09:24:am National
2.4K By sosa hills
It is not the best of times for newspapers and magazines owners, as well as vendors, as men of the Nigerian Army have stormed the streets of Aba, Abia State, confiscating their publications.
The Army had on Monday and Wednesday seized hundreds of copies of newspapers and magazines from the newsstands and invaded some offices of newspapers' distributors and agents where they seized old and current editions.
Some vendors who spoke on their ordeal with the soldiers, said they had lost over N1 million to the confiscation of their wares by soldiers on Monday.
The soldiers on the first day, according to the vendors, came with two Hilux vans to the vendors' distribution zone at St. Michaels Road Aba, and seized the newspapers and magazines with Biafra reports.
Some of the seized newspapers, according to the vendors, were The New Republic, Freedom Journal and The Voice of the South East and South-South.
The Chairman of Newspapers and Magazines Distributors Association in Aba, Mr. Anthony Okeke, told newsmen that newspaper vendors in Aba had been subjected to constant harassments by the Army.
He said their businesses had been adversely affected as a result of frequent raids by soldiers in search of newspapers that carry Biafra reports.
Okeke said that during Monday's raid, both unsold copies and current editions of all newspapers with Biafra stories valued at over N1 million were carted away.
According to him, the soldiers said they "don't want to hear anything about Biafra again."
Okeke said: "Last month they seized newspapers that carried Biafra stories at Tony Mass and Flyover newsstands, Aba."
He appealed to the Federal Government to prevail on the Army to stop harassing newspaper vendors whom he said, "are not the architects of Biafra" but were merely fending for themselves through their sales.
Okeke said that instead of harassing vendors, the security operatives should direct their grievances to the publishers and leave the "poor vendors alone."
In a reaction, the Army said they are only after "unregistered newspapers with seditious publications capable of causing a breach of the peace."
According to the eyewitnesses, the soldiers packed the unsold and current editions of the said papers into their vans and left the place and vowed to arrest the publishers of the various newspapers.
The Army had on Monday and Wednesday seized hundreds of copies of newspapers and magazines from the newsstands and invaded some offices of newspapers' distributors and agents where they seized old and current editions.
Some vendors who spoke on their ordeal with the soldiers, said they had lost over N1 million to the confiscation of their wares by soldiers on Monday.
The soldiers on the first day, according to the vendors, came with two Hilux vans to the vendors' distribution zone at St. Michaels Road Aba, and seized the newspapers and magazines with Biafra reports.
Some of the seized newspapers, according to the vendors, were The New Republic, Freedom Journal and The Voice of the South East and South-South.
The Chairman of Newspapers and Magazines Distributors Association in Aba, Mr. Anthony Okeke, told newsmen that newspaper vendors in Aba had been subjected to constant harassments by the Army.
He said their businesses had been adversely affected as a result of frequent raids by soldiers in search of newspapers that carry Biafra reports.
Okeke said that during Monday's raid, both unsold copies and current editions of all newspapers with Biafra stories valued at over N1 million were carted away.
According to him, the soldiers said they "don't want to hear anything about Biafra again."
Okeke said: "Last month they seized newspapers that carried Biafra stories at Tony Mass and Flyover newsstands, Aba."
He appealed to the Federal Government to prevail on the Army to stop harassing newspaper vendors whom he said, "are not the architects of Biafra" but were merely fending for themselves through their sales.
Okeke said that instead of harassing vendors, the security operatives should direct their grievances to the publishers and leave the "poor vendors alone."
In a reaction, the Army said they are only after "unregistered newspapers with seditious publications capable of causing a breach of the peace."
According to the eyewitnesses, the soldiers packed the unsold and current editions of the said papers into their vans and left the place and vowed to arrest the publishers of the various newspapers.
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