Samuel was arrested on Tuesday for publishing a report on the invasion of the National Assembly by operatives of the Department of State Services. He was asked to reveal the source of his story on the IGP’s memo to Osinbajo, on the invasion.
Nigerians are currently at the Nigeria Police Headquarters, Abuja, to demand the immediate release of Premium Times journalist, Samuel Ogundipe.
The crowd is being led by Presidential Aspirant and Publisher of SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore; social activist and music icon, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, and Deji Adeyanju
Samuel was arrested on Tuesday for publishing a report on the invasion of the National Assembly by operatives of the Department of State Services. He was asked to reveal the source of his story on the IGP’s memo to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on the invasion.[story_link align="right"]61979[/story_link]
Aside Ogundipe, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Musikilu Mojeed, and its education correspondent, Azeezat Adedigba, were also briefly detained by the police at the SARS headquarters in Abuja.[story_link align="right"]62022[/story_link]
Speaking at the Force headquarters, Sowore insisted that the Police should release Samuel to them.
“We came here so that we can resolve this problem. Bring out Ogundipe, we leave. It’s as simple as that,” Sowore said.
Adeyanju, an activist, accused the Buhari-led administration of not allowing Nigerians, especially journalists, the freedom to express themselves.
He said, “What we have in place is a government that does not recognise free speech, but a government that criminalises free speech.”
Samuel has been in detention since Tuesday and may be detained till Monday as the Police has secretly obtained a court order to detain him for five more days.