- Picked him in the presence of his wife, childre
- Showed no Warrant for his arrest
Nigerian journalism faced another attack when police officers whisked away Madu Onuorah, the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Globalupfront Newspaper (Online) on Wednesday.
At around 6 pm, a team of ten heavily armed policemen in two Sienna buses raided his Abuja residence in Lugbe, arresting him in front of his wife and children.
Despite their pleas for an explanation, the police refused to disclose the reason for the arrest, leaving the family in distress.
The officers also confiscated Onuorah’s phones, effectively cutting off his communication with the outside world, including his family members.
He was not even allowed to contact his lawyer or any of his relations before he was whisked away to the Lugbe police station by the stern looking operatives.
To make sure Mr. Onuorah did not get attention or bail, the policemen who arrested him, though not of the Lugbe Police Station, simply dumped him at the Station and left no traces for friends and family members to reach them.
The Management of Globalupfront Newspapers who condemned the arrest of their publisher, called on the police to release Mr. Madu Onuorah immediately and unconditionally.
It said “Mr. Onuorah is an experienced Journalist, former Abuja Bureau Chief of The Guardian Newspaper, former Managing-Director of The AUTHORITY Newspaper, who operates within the ambit of the law.
“That anybody who has any issue against Mr. Onuorah should approach the law court and not turn the Nigerian Police into a Gestapo outfit that bullies a man in the presence of his wife and children.
“That any second Mr. Onuorah spends in police custody constitutes a serious infringement against his fundamental rights and a continuation of the assault on freedom of expression that has become frequent occurrence in Nigeria recently.
On May 10, Daniel Ojukwu, the FIJ reporter who was kidnapped by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector-General of Police, was released after spending 10 days in police custody.
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