Media organisations, associations, professional bodies and civil society organisations have condemned the recent arrest, detention, brutalisation and torture of the Editor of FirstNews Newspapers, Mr Segun Olatunji, by military men, who reacted to stories published by the media outlet.

They also demanded a speedy, public, transparent and independent investigation into the incarceration, which they described as an act of barbarism and brazen disregard for the Constitution and the Government’s obligations under relevant domestic laws and international instruments.

The bodies, in a joint statement, further demand that all persons within and outside the military, “who are found to have been connected with this unacceptable violation of the rights of the journalist and the Constitution, including those who effected Mr Olatunji’s arrest, detention and torture, those who directly commanded them, and those who ordered or instigated the action, should be prosecuted before the appropriate court and punished to the full extent of the law.”

In addition, “The Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), who commands the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, reportedly ordered the operation that culminated in  Mr Olatunji’s abduction, torture, and detention while the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, to whom the CDI reports, was also reportedly aware of the operation but joined the CDI to claim for days that the journalist was not in their custody. They need to be held accountable for their roles in the matter,” the statement read in part.

The demands were contained in a statement jointly signed by the President, Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN)/President, Nigerian Press Organisations (NPO), Kabiru Yusuf; Executive Secretary, Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Dr Yemisi Bamgbose; President, Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Eze Anaba; National President, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Isiguzo; President, Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Maureen Chigbo.

Others are the President of International Press Institute, Nigeria Chapter (IPI Nigeria), Musikilu Mojeed; Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Edetaen Ojo;Executive Director, International Press Centre (IPC), Lanre Arogundade; Director Socio-Economic Rights & Accountability Project (SERAP), Adetokunbo Mumuni

It will be recalled that armed men, in military uniforms, who introduced themselves as military personnel from the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), led by a military officer, who also introduced himself as Colonel Lawal, invaded Olatunji’s home in a Lagos suburb on March 15, 2024. They seized Olatunji’s mobile phone, handcuffed and bundled him into one of their vehicles and flew him, blindfolded to Abuja, where he was kept in an underground cell for 14 days.

Stripped to his boxers, legs manacled, hands in cuffs, kept incommunicado and not informed of his offence or the reason for his arrest as required by law, Olatunji was only released on March 29, 2024.

He was repeatedly interrogated about stories published by FirstNews in the absence of a legal practitioner of his choice because he was not given the opportunity to consult a lawyer.

The bodies demanded, among others, that the Federal Government should conduct a speedy, public, transparent and independent investigation into the incident in order to identify all persons within and outside the military, who were connected with the violation of Olatunji’s rights; full accountability for all those responsible; payment of compensation to Olatunji; and an unequivocal public commitment by Federal Government to respect and defend the rights and freedom of journalists and other media practitioners to carry out their professional duties in a safe and conducive environment.

They warned that should the Federal Government fail to respond positively to all the demands within 14 days from today, the undersigned media associations and professional bodies as well as civil society organisations would pursue all available mechanisms at the national, regional and international levels to ensure compliance with the demands.