The security operatives were also said to have demanded to see the online newspaper’s managing editor, a reporter.
Operatives of the National Intelligence Agency on Monday stormed the head office of Peoples Gazette in Abuja, the newspaper has disclosed.
The security operatives were also said to have demanded to see the online newspaper’s managing editor, a reporter.
They arrived the place with a letter empowering them to explore “other options” should the journalists fail to cooperate by disclosing the source of a confidential memo on the Director-General of the agency, Rufai Abubakar, published in December.
The newspaper had last year published in a series of articles – a memo that spy chiefs at the foreign intelligence office had written to President Muhammadu Buhari, warning him against retaining Abubakar as DG on the grounds that he lacked intellectual and physiological rigour for the position.
On Monday, nearly three weeks after the articles were published; four officers arrived in a white Toyota Hilux truck shortly after 1:00pm, intimidated security personnel at the gate and forced their way into the office on the second floor.
The agents from the nation’s external security service then demanded to see The Gazette’s Managing Editor, Samuel Ogundipe, and reporter Hillary Essien.
One of the officers, who adorned a cream kaftan with a matching cap, gave a letter to The Gazette’s front desk staff.
The officers left after they realised that Mr Ogundipe and Essien were not at the office, but indicated in their letter that they will make additional efforts to realise the agency’s mission.
The NIA in the letter signed for the DG by Amstrong Machunga, asked The Gazette to reveal the identities of the officers responsible for the memo and its disclosure.
“It should be on the record that the NIA, as a secret service, is sensitive to undue publicity, but not shy of accountability and ready to engage on any issue of concern with responsible media outlets. The malicious publication under reference falls in the category of undue publicity and is most unwelcome.
“Peoples Gazette, therefore, has to come clean, not the falsehood it published and prove that it is not working for people with ulterior negative motives against the NIA by forwarding to us a copy of the letter from which the publication emanated and identify signatories to the purported letter.
“This could set the stage for engagement and resolution of the damage that has been caused to the image of the Director-General of the NIA and the organisation.
“Failure to take advantage of this opportunity may lead to activation of other options to seek redress,” the letter, dated December 23, 2021, but delivered on Monday, said.
While reacting to the development, Ogundipe said that the newspaper will not be intimidated into disclosing the source of its information.
It called on the NIA boss to address the revelations made in the memo rather than attacking the newspaper for publishing facts.
He said, “The Gazette stands by its story and urges Mr Abubakar and the NIA management to focus on addressing the protests of the officers who wrote the letters rather than deploying resources towards unearthing their identities.
“The NIA directors recognised the risks involved when they pushed that confidential memo to the President.
“Our newspaper will not take part in breaking that confidentiality.
“Mr Abubakar should clear the air on whether or not he failed promotional exams on three different occasions, as well as the allegations of corruption and nepotism we saw in the memo."