Detained Premium Times' reporter 'secretly charged in court'
Thu Aug 16, 2018 12:42:pm National
3.3K By Obiaks Blog
A Nigerian journalist, of the Premium Time newspaper, who was arrested and detained by the Nigeria Police on Tuesday has been secretly taken to court and charged with trespassing and stealing police documents, his newspaper has reported.
Samuel Ogundipe while speaking with a colleague and the newspaper's lawyer said he was dragged to court barefooted, with no-one but the magistrate, police officers and prosecutors present, the Premium Times reports.
"At the court, I requested to speak with my lawyer and employer but they said I should wait until after the proceedings," it quoted Mr Ogundipe as saying.
The Premium Times said Ogundipe arrests was as a result of a report he published containing a briefing by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris that had been sent to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo about the blockade at the parliamentary complex on 7 August.
On Wednesday, the paper published an article urging Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to intervene and order the release of the journalist but the paper said it "remained a mystery" why Osinbajo had failed to intervene in Mr Ogundipe's arrest.
"Premium Times has a constitutional duty to inform the Nigerian people and hold public officials to account. It will neither be intimidated nor cowed by the filthy antics of the police or the administration," it added.
Samuel Ogundipe while speaking with a colleague and the newspaper's lawyer said he was dragged to court barefooted, with no-one but the magistrate, police officers and prosecutors present, the Premium Times reports.
"At the court, I requested to speak with my lawyer and employer but they said I should wait until after the proceedings," it quoted Mr Ogundipe as saying.
The Premium Times said Ogundipe arrests was as a result of a report he published containing a briefing by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris that had been sent to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo about the blockade at the parliamentary complex on 7 August.
On Wednesday, the paper published an article urging Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to intervene and order the release of the journalist but the paper said it "remained a mystery" why Osinbajo had failed to intervene in Mr Ogundipe's arrest.
"Premium Times has a constitutional duty to inform the Nigerian people and hold public officials to account. It will neither be intimidated nor cowed by the filthy antics of the police or the administration," it added.
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