Uchenna Nwafor, Yenagoa
Armed security operatives from the headquarters of the Department of the State Security (DSS) on Thursday invaded the newspaper publishing house owned by the Publishers of the Weekly Source and arrested the Publisher, Chief Jones Abiri over alleged unknown offences.
The armed security operatives, who arrived the publishing office in the early hours of morning in three cars with registration numbers SAG 391AA, PBT 480 AA and Lagos 193 DN, ignored questions from Journalists and colleague publishers and whisked him to an unknown destination.
It was gathered that after much pressure from the Journalists present at the scene, one of the security operative simply said Chief Jones Abiri was arrested over issues of National Security.
According to eye witness account, the security men carted away several documents from his office and left with the publisher, “while the search lasted, the security personnel didn’t allow anyone into the office.”
Attempts by some Journalists and the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) to confirm the whereabout of the Publisher met brick wall as the State headquarters of the DSS and other relevant security agencies denied knowledge of the arrest,” we have search and could not trace his whereabouts. But a source at the DSS said no security agent can come to the state and effect any arrest without prior information to them”.
“However, a complain has been lodged at the Ekeki Police station, Yenagoa by his colleagues in company with the state chairman of the Bayelsa state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)”
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Speaking to journalists, shortly after a futile attempt to trace the arrested publisher, the Chairman of the Federated Newspaper Publishers Association (BAFENPA), Ayibatonye Easterday, called on the police to carry out thorough investigation to find out the whereabouts of Chief Abiri, stating that the refusal of the security operatives to introduce themselves before whisking away their colleague calls for concern.
