Samuel Ogundipe, the Premium
Times journalist arrested on Tuesday, says he was accused of stealing secret
documents.
Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general
of police, reportedly ordered his arrest over a story on Lawal Daura, sacked
director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The police had reportedly asked
Ogundipe to disclose how he obtained the letter IGP wrote to Acting President
Yemi Osinnajo on Daura but the journalist declined in line with the ethics of
the profession.
According to Premium Times, the
journalist was secretly arraigned before a magistrate court in Kubwa, Abuja, on
Wednesday, without being grantee access to his lawyers.
He was reportedly charged with
criminal trespass and theft of police document.
The newspaper said though
Ogundipe’s lawyer was allowed access to him at the facility of the special
anti-robbery squad (SARS) in Abuja on Wednesday morning, the lawyer was asked
to leave only for him (Ogundipe) to be later taken to court “without prior
notice”.
It was at the court that the
journalist reportedly got a phone to inform the newspaper of the new
development.
He was quoted as saying: “They
brought me to a magistrate court in Kubwa where they arraigned me. The
magistrate said they should detain me for five days.
“They accused me of criminal
trespass. They said I stole secret documents. The magistrate does not know the
details, because they did not include in the charge that I am a journalist. I
was not allowed to contact my lawyers.
“They also did not allow me to
call anyone until the magistrate ordered them to let me make one call. I am
currently using the registrar’s phone to make this call and they are collecting
it.”
The magistrate was said to have
given an order that he be detained for five more days.
The police have been under
pressure to release the journalist. #FreeSamuelOgundipe is currently trending
on social media.
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