The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP has admonished the Nigeria Police Force to allow the presidency explore the court option provided by law in resolving differences with media organizations instead of harassing journalists .Osita Okechukwu said this in a statement on Monday. The CNPP spokesman also condemned the “harassment” of editors of Leadership Newspapers on the heels of the paper’s publication of the alleged “Presidential Directive” against the All Progressive Congress ,APC.
Reports Monday said Four Leadership staff made up of the Director of Human Resources, Mrs. Chinyere Fred-Adegbulugbe, the Managing Editor, Chucks Ohuegbe, Group News Editor Tony Amokeodo and a Senior Reporter, Chibuzor Ukaibe were detained at the Police Headquarters .
“The Nigeria Police Force should allow the presidency to explore the court option provided by law; more so when the presidency has denied the said publication”Okiechukwu said, adding, “In sum, we condemn an attempt by the Nigeria Police Force or indeed any other agency of the state to jeopardize our hard earned Freedom of the Press ” ,Okechukwu said
CNPP particularly alerted “the nation of the return of the Dark Ages; as evidenced by the breach of the Constitution by the Nigeria Police Force. In this instance the harassment, and intimidation of reporters of Leadership newspaper over the publication of the Bromide of the Presidential Directive”.
Okechukwu who sounded furious over the harassment said “CNPP is of the considered view that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has adequately and sufficiently guaranteed the freedom of the press and therefore the frontiers of freedom shall not be breached by any organ of the state, person or group of persons. We are committed to the protection and guidance of freedom guaranteed by our Constitution, UN Declaration of Human Rights and African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, {Ratification and Enforcement Act 2004}. For Freedom has remained one of the few dividends of democracy Nigerians enjoy; in the midst of misgovernance and pervasive corruption.”
The paper in its online edition on Monday reported a story with the headline: Jonathan Unleashes Police On Leadership.The paper said :In what observers have described as “portents of a dangerous phase,” President Goodluck Jonathan has bared his fangs against the media by unleashing the police on LEADERSHIP over a recent exclusive story on a “presidential directive” targeting the opposition and containing plans to raise petrol prices, among other things.
Between Wednesday when the newspaper first published the story and yesterday, police officers have visited the newspaper’s head office in Abuja three times, demanding to see the journalists who wrote the story.
The psychological siege climaxed yesterday with a summons to the newspaper to appear at Force Headquarters in Abuja this morning.
“It is an irony that Jonathan who, as vice president, benefitted from this newspaper’s principled stand when the cabal under President Umaru Yar’Adua tried to block him from assuming power, is now using the same discredited rulebook to intimidate the press. This strong arm tactics will not work,” a media observer said yesterday.
In a letter dated April 7, 2013 of CR:3000/X/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.49/34 and signed by one Danlami Mohammed, a deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Administration, entitled: “Investigation Activities Police Invitation”, the police authorities summoned the trio of our group news editor Tony Amokeodo and two correspondents, Chibuzor Ukaibe and Taiwo Ogunmola-Omilani, to report to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police ‘D’ Department today over the said story.
The letter was addressed to the chairman, LEADERSHIP Group Limited.
The letter reads in part: “This office is investigating the circumstances leading to your Front Page publication entitled, “Outrage Trails Presidential Directive On Tinubu, APC” and a sub-title captioned
‘Bromide of the Presidential Directive.’ Based on our fact finding efforts, you are hereby requested to release the above mentioned reporters to interview the Deputy Inspector General of Police ‘D’ Department (FCID) on Monday, 8th April, 2013 at 1000hours.”
In the presidential directive, dated March 26, 2013, and exclusively published by LEADERSHIP, Jonathan had hinted at plans to target the business interests of the ACN national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and to frustrate the merger of the opposition parties at all costs.
He had said in the directive that petrol prices would be increased from the present N97 per litre to between N130 and N140, but that public opinion should first be gauged on the matter.
In response to rapid-fire denials by presidential spokesmen, Dr. Doyin Okupe and Dr. Reuben Abati, LEADERSHIP said it stood by its story and would not be intimidated by Jonathan’s attempt to curb press freedom.
