7 days after, Independent Bureau Chief still in DSS custody
.Lawyers say continued detention of journalist illegal, demand immediate release
.Colleague raise the alarm over his health
.CSO’s to occupy NASS today
Seven days after he honoured the invitation of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Abuja Bureau Chief of The Independent Newspapers, Mr Tony Ezimakor, is still being detained by the DSS over a publication on the recent abduction on Dapchi schoolgirls by the Book Haram sect.
The Daily Times learnt that he is being held over exclusive stories on Boko Haram campaign and negotiations with the insurgents.
Ezimakor’s story uncovered how ransom payments have become a lucrative source of extra income for Nigerian and Swiss intelligence officers who participated in the negotiations for Boko Haram hostages.
Two days after the latest mass kidnap of schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe State, Daily Independent ran a behind-the-scenes story about the release of the 82 Chibokgirls which was written by Ezimakor.
The story cited intelligence sources as saying that negotiations with Boko Haram for the release of hostages had become a “cash cow for some officials, working in concert with negotiators to squeeze scarce dollars from the federal government.”
But, Ezimakor is now being detained for his revelations and might not be released unless he unmasked his sources, Don Okere, editor of Daily Independent disclosed to journalists.
Okere said, “They’re asking him how he got the story and want him to release his source.”
According to the Daily Independent Editor, the DSS is demanding the retraction of the story with an apology or the matter will be charged to court.
“We asked them to charge the matter to court because we’re not retracting our story. But they have refused to do that,” Okere added.
The DSS first disclosed its displeasure about the story in a letter to Okere seeking the editor’s presence at its headquarters in Abuja.
The Editor said, “They said I should come and see the director of operations at the SSS in Abuja. But when I told them I am based in Lagos where we have our head office, they started looking for me.”
Okere said the DSS sent its agents to look for him at the office in Lagos twice, but he was unavailable at both times.
He said, “They later asked if we have a reporter in Abuja and I told them yes. I then asked our Bureau Chief to honour the invitation which he did last Wednesday and was detained.”
Okere revealed that it was clear that the DSS operatives did not know that the story carried Ezimakor’s byline.
Meanwhile, civil society groups have disclosed their intention to occupy the National Assembly as from Wednesday (today) until Ezimakor is released.
A statement released by a group known as “OurMumuDonDo” led by Charles Oputa, aka Charley Boy and Deji Adeyanju showed that the group will storm the National Assembly to drive home the impunity of the DSS.
Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER) also added its voice to the call on DSS to immediately release Ezimakor.
CASER said: “It is utterly shameful for state authorities to use punitive detention as a means of attempting to stifle truth, which is the reason for Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“The DSS must quickly realise that it would be constituting itself into an enemy of democracy in a modern Nigeria if it begins to hound journalists either for their opinions or for publishing well-researched facts that have the potential of exposing corruption and grand deceit in official circles.
“Ezimakor’s published investigative report on the involvement of a Swiss foreign service agent and the alleged clandestine payment of millions of Euros by the Nigerian government to secure the release of the kidnapped Chibokgirls, deserves commendation.”
Among other groups that have added voice to the cry to have Ezimakor released is Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).
Meanwhile, some senior lawyers in the country have asked the DSS to immediately and unconditionally release Ezimakor, who has been in detention since last week Wednesday.
Reacting to the development during a telephone interview with The Daily Times on a senior lawyer, Mr Mahmud Abubakar (SAN) expressed concern that such impunity could not be allowed in a democratic regime.
He called on the legal team of detained Abuja Bureau chief of The Daily Independent newspaper to approach the court and file an application for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights.
While stressing that his detention is in continuation of the clampdown on freedom of speech and free press by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in violation of the provisions of the Constitution, Mahmud stressed the need to raise the alarm in a bid to stop the nation from sliding towards dictatorship.
For his part, an Abuja-based lawyer and human rights activist, Abidemi Funsho, called on all Nigerians and the international community to prevail on President Buhari to order the immediate and unconditional release of Ezimakor.
He said,” The continued detention of Tony Ezimakor without arraigning him in a competent court of law is draconian, tyrannical, illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional”.
He cited Section 23 of the Police Act which stipulates that suspects cannot be detained beyond 24 hours after which the person should be charged to court in conformity with the basic constitutional rights of citizens, adding that to do otherwise will amount to impunity and an encroachment to his fundamental rights.
Also, “Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees right to fair hearing and only a court of competent jurisdiction can establish the judicial principle of audi alterem partem. We therefore demand that Ezimakor be brought to court if the DSS has anything against him,” he added.
The Daily Times recalls that Ezimakor, who has been detained by the DSS since Wednesday, is yet to be charged to court.
Ezimakor had willingly walked into the head office of the DSS in Abuja in response to an invitation from the DSS when he was detained and denied medication despite being a hypertensive person.
