| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER |
ALERT - NIGERIA
11 November 1997
Continued harassment of media, including arrests
SOURCE: Independent Journalism Centre (IJC), Lagos
(IJC/IFEX) - Editor of "The News" magazine Jenkins Alumona was arrested on 8 November 1997 on the premises of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on Victoria Island, Lagos. The arrest was effected by three plainclothes operatives who claimed to have come from the State Security Service (SSS) in Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. Alumona, who had been on vacation for some time, was first approached by the only female member of the security team, who tricked him out of the NTA offices before getting her colleagues to apprehend and place him in one of two waiting vehicles, which drove him to an unknown location.
Earlier the same day, "The News" managing editor Femi Ojudu narrowly escaped arrest. A plainclothes security operative walked up to him on an Ikeja, Lagos street and asked him questions concerning the publication of his magazine. Ojudu alerted passers-by and the man moved to a nearby hide-out to summon his colleagues. Before they arrived, Ojudu had escaped.
Elsewhere, squads of security operatives laid siege on the premises of major printing presses in Lagos this past weekend. Employees were warned not to do print runs for the independent media, particularly "The News", "TELL" and "TEMPO". Both "The News" and "TELL", which appear on Mondays, did not go on sale on Monday, 10 November.
On 9 November, a group of security operatives stormed the editorial offices of "TELL". After ransacking the premises for hours, they confiscated all the available copies of the magazine, packed them in the magazine's distribution vehicle, which was parked on the premises, and towed it away to an unknown location.
Further to the IFEX alert of 10 November, "TELL" managing editor magazine Onome Osifo-Whiskey was abducted on 9 November as he was driving to church on an Ikeja, Lagos street with his children and maid. At about 10:30 am, they were was stopped by securitymen who came in a convoy of four Peugeot cars. Osifo-Whiskey was ordered at gun-point to turn and drive back to his house. They then abandoned the car and, leaving the children and maid in front of the house, drove away with the journalist. A witness said, "they [the security officers] put a gun to his head. And the kids were crying: `Don't kill our daddy'."
Other "TELL" editors remain in hiding. But Osifo-Whiskey's wife said all efforts to trace her husband's whereabouts have been futile. She said that the offices of the SSS, police and military intelligence all denied holding Osifo-Whiskey.
For further information, contact Akin Akingbulu, Tejumola House (1st Floor) 24, Omole Layout, New Isheri Road, P.O. Box 7808, Ojudu, Ikeja - Lagos, Nigeria, tel/fax: +234 1 4924998/4924314, e-mail: ijc@linkserve.com.ng
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of IJC. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit IJC. _________________________________________________________________
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[The material contained in this communication comes to you via IRIN West Africa, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. UN IRIN-WA Tel: +225 21 73 66 Fax: +225 21 63 35 e-mail: irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci for more information or subscription. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this report, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. IRIN reports are archived on the Web at: http://www.reliefweb.int/emergenc or can be retrieved automatically by sending e-mail to archive@dha.unon.org . Mailing list: irin-wa-list]
Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19971112084538.006a8154@africaonline.co.ci> Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 08:45:38 +0000 From: UN IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci> Subject: Nigeria: IFEX Release, Continued harassment of media 97.11.12
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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