13th July, 2022
The Online Publishers Association of Nigeria, OPAN, has expressed outrage over continued detention of publisher of 247ureports.com, Mr Ikenna Ellis Ezenekwe who was arrested by the police in Abuja on July 5 over an article published on his website.
Ezenekwe, according to a statement signed by Austyn Ogannah and Daniel Elombah, President and Secretary General of OPAN respectively, was arrested on the order of former chief of staff to the former governor of Anambra, Willie Obiano, Primus Odili, over an alleged libelous article.
He was arrested by officers of the IGP monitoring team who had kept him in detention because he refused to disclose the source of his story on Odili.
“OPAN gathered authoritatively that Chief Odili has tasked the IGP monitoring team to unmask the source of the article, which Ezeneke has declined to identify citing confidentiality and privilege between journalists and news sources”
“Since his arrest by men from the IGP monitoring team, he has remained in incarceration and has not been charged to court. This is unlawful and an infringement of his fundamental rights.
“Although the Police never formally invited him, he was immediately arrested and taken to the national police headquarters in Asokoro where he was interrogated in the absence of his lawyer.
“We find it disturbing and unacceptable that the police could allow a citizen to use it to intimidate a journalist.
“The police have continued to intimidate and coerce Ezenekwe demanding to know the source of his story. This is wrong. Is the police above the laws of the land?
“OPAN hereby calls on the police to immediately release Mr. Ezenekwe and apologise to him for his unlawful incarceration.”