12th October, 2011
The editors of The Nation newspaper who were arrested yesterday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, and Lagos, by the police, may be charged to court today or tomorrow with sedition, forgery and defamation of character.
Mr Yusuf Ali, the Northern Operations Editor of The Nation newspaper and Mr. Lawal Ogienagbon, the Deputy editor of the newspaper were arrested yesterday by the police. Yusuf and Lawal were arrested in Abuja and Lagos office of the media house respectively.
Also still being detained alongside the two editors at Louis Edet House Headquarters of the Nigerian Police is Mr. Yomi Odunuga, the Abuja Bureau Chief of the newspaper.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the three top journalists who were arrested over the publication of a letter allegedly written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan may be arraigned in court on charges of sedition, forgery and defamation of character.
The police this morning ransacked the Wuse Zone 3, Abuja office of Vintage Publications, publisher of The Nation newspapers. The cops took away files and other documents at the end of the search.
The policemen carried out the operation in the presence of the detained Northern Operations Editor and the Bureau Chief.
P.M.NEWS investigations revealed that the police team, comprising four officers in plain clothes and two armed mobile policemen arrived at the office some minutes after 9 am in a Toyota Hiace bus with number NPF 764C.
The two journalists were still in the same clothes they wore when they were arrested yesterday and have not been allowed to take their bath.
The policemen ransacked the office of the Northern Operations Editor and that of the Abuja Bureau Chief, turning over files, computers and examining cheque books, in search of incriminating documents. It was learnt that the policemen took away different documents from the office of Yusuf Ali.
The documents taken away have nothing to do with the alleged letter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo over which the editors were arrested, but those Yusuf had used for other past stories.
But the policemen were said to have argued that the documents were official documents and should not have been in possession of the editor.
The policemen took the two senior journalists back to the Police Headquarters where they were detained after the search.
Meanwhile, investigation by P.M.NEWS has revealed that the arrest of the two journalists was orchestrated by Mohammed Adoke, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and an aide to President Jonathan.
It was gathered that Adoke wrote Hafiz Ringim, the Inspector General of Police, asking him to arrest and investigate editors of the newspapers over the publication of the controversial letter.
Lawal, who was arrested without warrant by the police in Lagos, was flown to Abuja after his statement was taken at the Force CID in Lagos.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the Deputy Editor who was escorted to Abuja by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, arrived at Police Headquarters around 2 am today.
He was still in detention this afternoon, P.M.NEWS gathered.
A statement by the newspaper indicated that Lawal was arrested alongside Mr. Dipo Onifade, the news Editor of the newspaper’s weekend titles.
Odunuga, it was learnt, was first interrogated at Area 10, Abuja office of Police CID before he was taken to the Police Force Headquarters.
The journalists are being questioned over the controversial letter from Obasanjo to Jonathan.
Inspector Joseph Udoh is leading the investigations at the Police Force Headquarters Abuja.
—Oluokun Ayorinde/Abuja