LAGOS SEPTEMBER 18TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The publisher of Media Room Hub and former ThisDay reporter, Azuka Ogujiuba, has accused the Nigeria Police Force of harassment, assault, and unlawful detention over allegations of cyberbullying and defamation.
Ogujiuba’s alleged harassment and assault add to growing concerns about the increasingly hostile treatment of journalists in Nigeria, particularly by the police and other armed forces.
Speaking at a world press conference in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, Ogujiuba said her health had deteriorated since she was detained in a cell in Abuja for three days without food.
She noted that her ordeal began after publishing a court injunction relating to a land dispute, a story she described as part of her professional duties as a journalist.
She narrated, “The Nigeria Police Force forced me to write an apology letter. They forced me to write that what I published was not true.
“They were telling me what to write. One of the officers made me do an undertaking that the letter was not done under duress. I had no options when I saw a gun facing me while under their custody.”
Ogujiuba explained that she honoured a police invitation in Abuja on August 6, despite living and working in Lagos, only to be confronted with a petition accusing her of cyberbullying and defamation.
She said, “My ordeal started after receiving an invitation from the Inspector General of Police. I began to wonder what my offence was, and I couldn’t think of any.
“It was then that I was shown a petition claiming cyberbullying and defamation.
I was surprised because the court injunction I posted had been published by several other media outlets. I told them it was a public document and not intended to bully or defame anyone.”
She noted that she was initially granted bail and asked to return after two weeks, but was later ambushed in Abuja by some policemen in a gangster manner while attending a paid event.
“I was at a scheduled interview when I started receiving calls from the officer, insisting that the petitioner wanted to see me. I reminded him that I had bail and promised to come after work.
“But while leaving the office, we suddenly heard commotion outside, and since they were not in uniform, we thought they were kidnappers. They targeted my phone, pounced on me, and manhandled me,” she narrated.
Ogujiuba alleged that she was taken back to the police office, where she was humiliated and intimidated by some police officers.
“If you saw the way I was being followed around the office with a gun, you would think I was a terrorist.
“They were unnecessarily hostile. I asked to see their boss, but they refused. When I tried to call my lawyer and family, they came aggressively at me and snatched my phone.”
She said she was eventually locked up in a cell that was “smelling” and left there for three days without food.
“I still do not know how I survived,” Ogujiuba said emotionally. “I still do not understand how publishing a court document amounts to cyberbullying and defamation.”
As of press time on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, had not responded to our correspondent’s inquiry on the incident.
Her arrest and detention have drawn sharp criticism from the Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute.
The IPI cautioned that Ogujiuba’s treatment undermines press freedom, weakens public confidence in the rule of law, and breaches Nigeria’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
PUNCH Metro reports that Ogujiuba’s case is not an isolated incident, as journalists in Nigeria have repeatedly faced similar ordeals.
On May 27, 2024, operatives of the Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police in Lagos arrested journalist and publisher of News Platform, Precious Eze, in what colleagues alleged was an arrest instigated by a businessman.
Earlier, the editor of FirstNews, Segun Olatunji, was also detained for several days by officers of the Defence Intelligence Agency.
Punch
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