Nigerian Journalist Abducted By Military Regains Freedom After 14 Days

A Nigerian journalist, Segun Olatunji, has regained his freedom after 14 days in a military detention facility in Abuja.

Mr Olatunji’s release was announced on Thursday at a joint presser by the International Press Institute, the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abuja.

Mr Olatunji, the editor of FirstNews, was abducted from his home in Lagos, South-west, on 15 March.

Hours later, he was blindfolded and flown into Abuja on a military aircraft. But the military authorities denied Mr Olatunji’s abduction until Wednesday evening when they admitted detaining the journalist.

When confronted by three journalists associations in Nigeria, the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, a general, and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Emmanuel Undiandeye, a major general, “lied that the journalist was not in their custody. “The journalist (Mr Olatunji) was being detained and tortured by the Defence Intelligence Agency in Abuja,” the Secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Iyobosa Uwugiaren, who read the joint press statement said on Thursday.

At the presser on Thursday, Mr Uwugiaren was flanked by Musikilu Mojeed, the Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times and President, International Press Institute in Nigeria as well as the President of the NUJ, Chris Isiguzo and Mr Olatunji.