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Tag: reporter

  • After two years with DSS, reporter relieves ordeal

    I was blindfolded, held in underground cell, says Abiri

    Jones Abiri, a journalist and publisher of a local tabloid in Bayelsa State, The Weekly Source, yesterday relieved his ordeal in the Department of State Sevices (DSS) cell.

    Abiri returned to Yenagoa, the capital, and was received at the secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) by reporters and the leadership of Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO).

    He said he was arrested in his office and detained for seven days in DSS cell in Yenagoa.

    Abiri said he was blindfolded and flown to Abuja.

    He said he was kept incommunicado in an underground DSS cell in Abuja and denied access to medical treatment for about two years.

    Abiri, whose wife and relations were with him, said the hope that God would freed him one day kept him alive.

    He said: “Precisely l was arrested on July 21, 2016, in my office about 3:23pm. About 12 armed men came to my office and they came with a document, a search warrant that my office was under investigation.

    “When l perused the search warrant, l saw it was signed by magistrate, simply named Lucky. I allowed them and they searched my office. At the end of the search they found nothing. They handcuffed me, took my phones, laptops and other things. Things unconnected to my arrest were also taken. All my pay slips, banking information were taken.

    “They whisked me away to the state command. I gave my statement and after spending seven days in Yenagoa, they took me to Abuja. Initially, l didn’t know where l was going. My eyes were blindfolded. Since that time, l have not been giving the grace and the opportunity to see my wife, my children, sisters, brothers and friends.

    “My lawyers were denied access to me. I was in an underground cell, where when the light went off, you would not see the next person. I was also denied medical treatment. I thank God that the CLO and other rights organisation took up the matter and today, l am out of  detention.

    “If not because of the voice of the media and the CLO, DSS wouldn’t have taken me to court. I was given one count charge that l sent threat messages to Agip Nigeria Limited and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) demanding money.

    “But l said l knew nothing about that because l had no connection with oil companies. But they insisted l was the one. But l kept on holding onto my creator. Now the matter is court”.

    Abiri assured the DSS and the person who signed his bail bond that he would not jump bail, optimistic he win win the case.

    “They were thinking that l would jump bail. But l am ready and very resilient to face my trial. I am emphatic and believing God that l am going to win the case. I am not scared of them. Dr. Ambassador Godknows Igali and Fredrick Andy came to my rescue to sign the bail bonds without fear. They stuck their neck. So, l will not jump bail”, he said.

    He added that following his experience, he had concluded plans to write a book: My Prison Journey.

    He thanked the Press Unlimited, an organisation in Netherlands for donating  €2000 amounting to about N450,000, which facilitated his freedom.

    He said the organisation knew about his case through an environmental activist, Alagoa Morris, and Peter Ikanga.

    Abiri said he filed a suit to enforce his rights at the Federal High Court, Abuja, adding that the matter will come up on August 27.

    “If l am a militant, Niger Delta will know that l am a militant. But l am not a militant. If I were a militant, l wouldn’t have owned an office to be doing my newspaper work. I should have been in the creek. I have already filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja to enforce my fundamental human rights”, he said.

    Also speaking, the Bayelsa State Chairman, CLO, Chief Nengi James, thanked all the stakeholders, who contributed for the release of Abiri.

    He, however, asked security agencies especially the DSS to stop persecution of the Ijaw and Niger Delta people.

    James lamented that over 50 persons from the region were being held in detention without trial and called on the DSS to follow the process of law and grant them freedom.

    Also speaking, the Bayelsa Chairman, NUJ, Mr. John Angese, said Abiri is a bonafide journalist in the state saying his experience in DSS detention would make him stronger in his profession.

    Chairmen of the Bayelsa Federated Newspapers Publishers Association (BAFENPA) and Bayelsa Independent Publishers Association (BIPA) in their various remarks asked the DSS to respect the rule of law in its operations.

  • The Nation reporter petitions DSS, police

    The Department of State Services (DSS) and the police have been notified of the alleged threat to the life of The Nation reporter in Ekiti State, Odunayo Ogunmola, by Lere Olayinka, an aide to Governor Ayo Fayose.

    In the petitions addressed to the state Director of DSS, Mrs. Promise Iheanacho and Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, Mr. Abdullahi Chafe, Ogunmola said Olayinka and the government should be held responsible should anything sinister happen to him.

    In the petitions dated May 2, the reporter demanded a prompt and in-depth investigation into the alleged threat.

    Read also: Ekiti May Day boycott: Fayose’s aide threatens The Nation reporter’s life

     Ogunmola accused Olayinka of posting his photographs and marking him out with a red arrow, to expose him to attacks.

    He alleged that Olayinka released his phone numbers to the public.

    The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has demanded the sack of the governor’s aide, describing his conduct as capable of threatening peace.

    Addressing reporters in Ado-Ekiti after the monthly meeting of the group, a chieftain, Mr. Tunji Ogunlola, said it constituted a grave criminal offence for a reporter to be threatened for performing his official duty.

  • FRSC official killed as gunmen abduct reporter’s wife, kid

    FRSC official killed as gunmen abduct reporter’s wife, kid

    Some unknown gunmen yesterday in Kaduna abducted the wife and child of a Voice of America (VOA) reporter.

    The abductors killed an official of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), who attempted to help the victims.

    The reporter, Malam Nasir Birnin-Yero, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that about 30 men attacked his residence in Birnin Yero, near Kaduna at about 1:30 am.

    “They came to my house at about 1:30 am. I was not at home. They forced themselves into my house and asked my wife of my whereabouts and she told them I was not at home.

    “They vandalised my television set and refrigerator before taking my wife and son away, insisting that they must take them to where I was.

    “One of my neighbours, who works with the FRSC, Mr. Sabitu Abdulhamid, was shot dead when he rushed out in an attempt to save my family.

    “The kidnappers have not made any contact yet,” Birnin-Yero said

    Kaduna State FRSC Sector Commander Umar Ibrahim confirmed the death of the corps personnel.

    Ibrahim described the deceased as a very hard working person, who was also a member of the community’s vigilante.

    “I am just coming back from the burial. It is a sad day for members of his family and the entire FRSC family, “the sector commander said.

  • The Nation’s Yusuf is Reporter of the Year

    The Nation’s Yusuf is Reporter of the Year

    The Nation’s rich tradition of investigative journalism got at the weekend a big recognition at the yearly Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) Award in Lagos.

    Multiple award-winning Associate Editor and Head of Investigations Desk Adekunle Yusuf won the grand prize.

    Yusuf’s entry: How corruption, favouritism thrive in UNILORIN, published from March 14 to 16, won the 2017 WSCIJ Nigerian Investigative Reporter of the Year. The entry also won the 2017 Report of the Year in the print journalism category.

    Yusuf, in the three-part series, painstakingly investigated and exposed multiple financial crimes, plagiarism and nepotism, among other vices, at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) in Kwara State and the Fountain University – a faith-based school owned by Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society (NASFAT)– in Osun State.

    Members of the judges’ panel, in their assessment of entries submitted for the awards, praised in particular Yusuf’s resourcefulness and courage in exposing the ingrained corruption in one of Nigeria’s foremost citadels of learning.

    In the citation of the story read at the event, the judges said: “The story is well-written and it is a benchmark for other newspapers to emulate. The reporter made use of knowledgeable resource persons to interprete data to make the narrative lucid and precise. For a well-rounded and thoroughly-researched story, Adekunle Yusuf makes the list of the celebrated WSCIJ Nigerian Investigative Reporter of the Year.”

    Prof Wole Soyinka personally presented the grand prize to Yusuf.

    The winner hailed the centre for the honour but expressed sadness that the actors mentioned in the story still enjoyed their privileges. The development, he said, cast a slur on the integrity of the Federal Government’s in its anti-corruption battle.

    Yusuf, a graduate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) also holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, United States (U.S.). He was recipient of the International Ford Foundation Fellowship between 2010 to 2012.

    Since joining The Nation from Tell in 2013 as Assistant Editor, Yusuf has won awards with incisive stories.

    Multiple-award winning Editor of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting Fisayo Soyombo won the Online Category with his entry titled: In Borno, children are dying at IDP camps, foodstuffs are disappearing at SEMA store.

    Premium Times’ Kemi Busari and Ripples Nigeria’s Ebere Udukwu are first and second runners-up in the Online Category.

    Also, New Telegraph’s Mojeed Alabi and Business Day’s Chinwe Agbeze were first and second runners up in the Print Media Category.

    At the event, former Education Minister Dr. Oby Ezekwesili and Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda Edetaen Ojo received honorary awards in anti-corruption and human rights.

  • Relief, as LTV reporter saves blushes for Baby Michael

    Relief, as LTV reporter saves blushes for Baby Michael

    Somehow, reason seems to have prevailed and sick Baby Michael, whom the mission to treat and rehabilitate was abandoned a few months ago, following disagreement between his family and his rescue team, were raising funds for his treatment, have now agreed to bury the hatchet and continue his treatment. Gboyega Alaka reports.

    Baby Michael Alvez, remember him? That’s the baby all hopes of a normal life seemed to have come to a stand still for last May, when actress Kate Henshaw, together with her fellow rescuers, Temitope Oluwagbemi and Aramide Kasumu and the administrating NGO, Project Alert, decided to withdraw their treatment and rehabilitation efforts and return donated funds to all donors.

    The rescuers, had happened on very sick Michael soliciting alms in traffic around the Lagos Museum in March 2016, got hold of him, located his mum and offered to help. Michael’s ailment was later diagnosed as Facial Hemangioma at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH and in no time, over N8million was raised towards his treatment, which the doctors at LUTH said would take some time. Treatment commenced in earnest, with Michael spending eight months between March 2016 and February 2017 in the hospital.

    Trouble however started, when the family began antagonising everyone involved in the project. According to Project Alert’s Executive Director, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, “The antagonism was not limited to the rescuers and Project Alert, but to the different government agencies responsible for care and protection of children like Michael. Not only did his mother, Mary abandon him in the wards, she was maltreating him… and even beat up another woman in the ward, and threatened to burn down the ward when accosted by the matron.”

    The problem climaxed in February this year, when a meeting of all parties, called by the Lagos Social Welfare Department at the secretariat collapsed, with the family vehemently refusing to give up their son to Lagos State government for proper hygienic care. They also signed an affidavit to reject further medical interventions and Baby Michael’s aunt, Syndi Ezeanyeji, got a law firm, Beacon Solicitors, to write to Project Alert about the fund. These were aside personal curses sent SMS to the rescuers.

    This angered Henshaw and her co-travellers, who wondered why the family should be more interested in the fund than the baby’s treatment and wellbeing and they promptly called a media conference to announce the commencement of a refund process to the donors. They would rather refund the money to the donors than hand it over to the family.

    But luck smiled on the poor baby, when an LTV reporter, Solomon Gbadebo picked up the story and decided to probe further.  According to Effah-Chukwuma, Gbadebo, who presented the now rested Sunday Evening Show, took the initiative to interview both parties, going further to play the role of an intermediary and finally resolving the impasse.

    “The result of their stepping in is why we are gathered here today. They followed up with the family to write to LUTH, requesting for an official estimate for the various treatments Michael will have to undergo and for what period. While following up with the family, they also followed up with the rescuers, and members of the public, by airing two episodes of the case, and calling on the rescuers and the donors not to please take their money. Their intervention helped.” Effah-Chukwuma said.

    To this effect, a cheque deposit of N1, 383,500 has been made by Project Alert towards the continuation of the medical treatment of the child and handed over to Michael’s family, represented by Ezeanyeji. The cheque was in fulfilment of the surgery estimate sent to Ezeanyeji by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (Ref. No: CS/103/Vol.XVIII) and signed on behalf of its Chief Medical Director by its Head, Corporate Services Division, K. O. Otuneme.

    The cheque is for the next stage of treatment and Michael is expected to be in and out of hospital eight times.

    Effah-Chukwuma expressed joy on behalf of the rescuers at this positive turn of event and pledged their commitment to the cause.

    Syndi on her part apologised for all the past disagreement and commended the role of LTV in helping to resolve the matter.

    The man at the centre of the reconciliation, Solomon Gbadebo, said he only played his role as a journalist and because he felt the future and wellbeing of an innocent child should not be sacrificed on the altar of some adults’ ego. He implored the family, the rescuers and Project Alert to ensure they always find a meeting point until the mission to treat and rehabilitate Michael is accomplished.  “I am only a staff at LTV and who says I cannot leave the next minute; so I implore Syndi, mama (Michael’s grandmother who was also present) and Project Alert to always find a meeting point in this matter.”

     

  • Police arrest reporter over protest story in IDPs camps

    Police arrest reporter over protest story in IDPs camps

    The Benue Police Command has arrested Mr Emmanuel Atswen, a reporter of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), over a report on the protest by IDPs at the International Market camp in Makurdi.
    NAN reports that the IDPs, on Sept. 12, protested against alleged diversion of relief materials, and blocked the main entrance into the camp to stop vehicles loaded with the assorted relief materials, from driving out.
    Some of the protesters, who spoke with NAN, said that they were prompted to protest because such diversion had become more persistent, insisting that it was not the first time camp officials were loading materials from the camp”s warehouse.
    Atswen, who was at the camp when the protest took place, not only filed the story, but took still and video pictures of the protesters.
    He also spoke with the Commissioner of Water Resources and Environment, Mr Joseph Utsev, who promised to investigate the protest.
    The state government had earlier removed the camp manager over alleged “irregularities”.
    Miffed by the protests, the Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Boniface Ortese, recently closed down all the camps hosting victims of the Benue floods, after claiming that they had been taken over by hoodlums.
    Atswen, who was arrested on Friday in Makurdi, is being accused of “defamation of character and falsehood”.
    One Mr Offor, the police officer investigating the case, turned down pleas by journalists and lawyers to release Atswen on bail, and ignored arguments that the offences he was being charged with were bailable.
    NAN reports that prior to Atswen’s arrest, the SEMA boss had petitioned NAN over the same story, demanding N3 billion as damages, even though neither his name nor his agency were mentioned in the report.
    The NAN management, in a press statement on Saturday in Abuja, however, said that it was standing by its protest story, and reiterated its commitment to reporting the truth always.
    The NAN management declared that the said story did not violate the tenets of the journalism profession. (NAN)
  • Magistrate bars reporter from court

    Magistrate bars reporter from court

    There was mild drama at the Igbosere Magistrates Court, last Friday when Magistrate H. O. Amos ordered a reporter out of his court.
    Amos said Onozure Dania from the Vanguard did not obtain his permissioný before entering his court.
    The magistrate was hearing an application filed by a surety, Mr Gbenga Badmus, seeking to withdraw his suretyship for a defendant, Mr Akindele Afolabi.
    Afolabi is the former holder of power-of-attorney for the late Madam Efunroye-Tinubu family of Lagos.
    During proceedings, the court registrar observed Dania taking notes and informed Amos of her presence.
    The magistrate stopped proceedings and asked the reporter to identify herself.
    “Who are you?” Amos asked.
    “I am a journalist. My name is Onozure Dania and I write for Vanguard,” she replied.
    “What is your interest in this matter?” he asked.
    Dania replied: “I have no interest in the matter; I cover court proceedings that is why I am here.”
    “Did you take permission from me before entering the court?” Amos asked.
    “Your honour, I understand that the court is a public place. I don’t need to take permission. I cover even the high courts and I have never been asked to obtain permission before covering proceedings.”
    But Amos persisted saying: “I agree that the court is a public place and this is a public document, but did you take my permission before entering the court? You think you can just come into the court and start writing? If you want to write anything from this court, I must veto it before it is published.”
    “You can’t veto my story before publication,” Dania answered.
    “Then walk out of my court,” the magistrate said, following which Dania left the room.
    On February 8, last year, Amos was reported to have told reporters from The Nation and Vanguard that they were not welcome in his court unless they obtained the Chief Magistrates’ permission.
    Earlier, Badmus said he was withdrawing his suretyship because he no longer had confidence in Afolabi.
    Afolabi, 48, and Alhaji Adio Kazeem, 79, were arraigned by the police on August 11, 2014, ýon an eight-count charge of conspiracy, forcible entering, forcible possession, impersonation and breach of peace.
    The police also alleged that Afolabi impersonated “as the lawful attorney of Iyalode Efunroye Tinubu family, a representation you knew to be false.”
    According to prosecuting, Inspector Haruna Ibrahim, the offences are punishable under Sections 52, 126, 166(d), 300, 378(1) and (2) and 410 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

  • Campus Life reporter to launch fashion line

    Campus Life reporter to launch fashion line

    A reporter with Campus Life of The Nation, Miftaudeen Raji, has turned his attention to fashion as a result of his passion for African-inspired designs. He is working on his debut collection.

    Raji, a 300-Level undergraduate of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), said in an interview that he was going into fashion business to take advantage of its potential.

    He hinged his decision on his high level of interest in fashion and the need to be an entrepreneur as a student.

    He also spoke of plans to launch his dream clothing brand this year.

    “Right now, I am still very meticulous over the corporate identity of my brand. I want to ensure a lot of things are perfected before unveiling because whatever image I present to the public now remains forever and I don’t want anything short of excellence,” he said.

    Raji said he was determined to key into the aspirations of the government in producing and buying Nigerian brands to grow the nation’s economy.

    On the prospects of the fashion industry, he said: “The Nigerian fashion industry has been said to be worth about $10billion (about N1.5trillion). Some stakeholders have also projected that African fashion alone can grow to become a $15.5billion industry in the next five years. Globally, the creative and fashion industry is estimated to be potentially worth about $5 trillion in annual turnover.”

    Raji said the world was aware of the industry and the capabilities of African designers, who feature in international fashion shows.

    “This implies that if given the right investment, African designers can compete well on the world stage,” he said.

    To prepare for his foray into fashion, Raji enrolled at a Lagos fashion school. He has worked with various professional designers and attended many fashion design events.

    He participated in the last edition of the Nigerian Students’ Fashion Design Week and the London Fashion Design Week.

    The journalist-turned-designer is skilled in sketching with modern computer-aided applications and has a repository of sketched works to his credit. He has also worked on a yet-to-be-unveiled designer collection that features attractive styles and themes.

    The fashion enthusiast started his journalism career in 2011 as a reporter for a campus newspaper “MAPECHO” (MAPOLY Echo) during his first year in the Mass Communication department at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ojere, Abeokuta.

    Between 2011 and 2013, Raji was attached to Nigerian Pilot newspaper (now National Pilot) for his three-month SIWES and one-year industrial attachment (IT), where he published stories in several editions of Iwe-Iroyin, a quarterly newspaper published by the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union Journalists (NUJ).

    Raji has served as an editor of several newspapers and magazines and has also consistently published news stories in the CampusLife section of The Nation.

  • Suspected burglar of The Nation’s reporter house arrested in Ekiti

    The Police in Ekiti State have arrested a suspected burglar, Idowu Kolawole, who broke into the home of The Nation correspondent in Ekiti State, Odunayo Ogunmola, last Thursday.

    The house, located near Deeper Life Campground in Ajebamidele area of Ado Ekiti, was burgled and valuables including a 32-inch Samsung plasma television set, an HP laptop, a C1 Nokia mobile phone, phone chargers and cans of malt drink were stolen by the suspect.

    The suspect, who capitalised on the fact that many residents of the area had left for their various places of work and summer lessons, scaled the fence and cut the burglary-proof of the kitchen window to gain entry into the house and made away with the valuables.

    Members of the household on arrival home at about 4:30 pm discovered that the building had been burgled. The burglary was immediately reported at the Ologede Police Station, along Ikere Road in Ado Ekiti by the reporter.

    Acting on a tip-off, policemen from Ologede Police Station Saturday morning arrested Kolawole at his hideout in Kajola area of Ikere Ekiti at about 11.20 am. The laptop and the phone where recovered immediately at the point of arrest.

    Some residents of Ikere described the suspect as the mastermind of many incidents of robbery, burglary and other criminal activities in the town and nearby Ado, the state capital.

    After his arrest, the suspect admitted breaking into Ogunmola’s house at about 10.00am and stealing the items.

    He claimed that he carried out the burglary alone and never brought any accomplice along.

    When quizzed further by the policemen, the suspect revealed that he hid the plasma TV inside the bush behind an uncompleted building at Road 4 in Ajebamidele. He later led the policemen to the scene where the plasma TV was recovered.

    The suspect was brought to the scene of the crime where he explained how he used a big saw to cut the burglary-proof of the kitchen window to gain access into the house.

    Kolawole later led the policemen to is rented one-room apartment in Moferere area of Ado, where Ogunmola’s laptop bag, the saw used by the suspect to carry out the burglary and other suspected stolen items were recovered.

  • CAMPUSLIFE reporter, mum die in road crash

    A student of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa (OFFAPOLY),  Campuslife reporter Abiodun Afeez Adeyemo and his mother, Mrs Deborah Oluwatoyin, have died in a road crash.

    Their bus had a head-on collision with a trailer on the Ogbomoso-Oyo road. They were on their way to Oko, their hometown, in Oyo State.

    The late Afeez  had always been accompanying his mother to buy goods.

    Residents of Oko in Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State were all tears last Tuesday when the bodies were brought home for burial. The Adeyemo family members were inconsolable at the funeral.

    Students were led to the event by Students’ Union Government (SUG)President Imran Yusuf. The late Mrs Adeyemo’s church members attended the ceremony, which was conducted in Christian and Islamic ways.

    In his tribute, Imran said: “Afeez was a loyal comrade and dynamic students’ leader. When he was elected into Students’ Representative Council (SRC), his contributions to discussions were always articulate. He died at the time his experience is needed to reform the union. His death is a great loss to the polytechnic.”

    National Vice President of National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) Ibrahim Seriki, described the late Afeez as a “radical activist”, saying the late student used his reportorial skill to fight for students.

    He said: “His good deeds would not be forgotten. He used his journalism skills to fight for students. We console his family and pray that almighty Allah give them the fortitudes to bear the irreparable loss.”

    A former SUG president, Festus Adedeji, said he was still in shock, saying: “His death is tragic.”

    Akinola Oluyi, a radio presenter, who introduced the late Afeez to CAMPUSLIFE, fought back tears, saying he was a dependable colleague.

    Akinola said: “Afeez was a brilliant student, who was always willing to learn. He was fearless and ready to sacrifice his wellbeing to promote students’ cause. He was never afraid to write against the management if he felt the need to do so. I am yet to come to terms over his death. May his soul and that of his mother rest in peace.”

    His classmate, Soliu Idayat, wrote on his Facebook wall: “This is sad news. Afeez came to my hostel last week Thursday and told me he would be travelling to Ogbomoso with his mother. He said he came to bid me goodbye, but I didn’t know he was saying farewell. He said he was hungry. I cooked rice and we ate together. He told me he would return on Sunday, but I got news of his death. It is so painful. May Allah grant you and your mum Aljanat firdaus (paradise).”

    Kayode Afolabi, a HND 1 Mass Communication student, said: “I have lost a confidant. We were good friends and I respected his styles of writing. He was jovial and well-mannered. I never believe such a cruel fate would befall such a gentle soul. I pray God forgive him.”

    The late Afeez was the first of his parents’ two children. He was born on March 27, 1990. He was a member of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and Committee for Preventing AIDS Society (PAS). Before his death, he was aspiring to contest for SUG president.