By Jide Osokoya
Fresh reports reaching P.M.News from Abuja this morning has revealed that the publisher of an online news agency, Mr. Jonathan Elendu, was arrested for sponsoring a guerrilla news agency.
It was gathered that the United States-based online publisher, who was arrested on Saturday on arrival in Nigeria, was allegedly linked to Saharareporters, an online Nigerian news agency.
Our source revealed that Sahareporters which is known for alleged subversive reports against the federal government and important personalities in the country, was allegedly the brain child of Elendu.
It was further learnt that when Elendu was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja as soon as he arrived via KLM Airline around 7.30 p.m. on Saturday, he was immediately whisked away to the SSS headquarters, Asokoro, Abuja.
Said our sources: "The hefty publisher was accosted on arrival by two SSS operatives who told him that he was being invited for a chat with their boss, he responded that since it was an invitation, they should give him time to go home and freshen up.
"The security operatives turned down his request, seized his international passport and whisked him away, only for him to remain incommunicado since then."
Elendu's family members expressed concern and worry over the state of his health, as nobody has been able to communicate with him since Saturday.
As at the time of this report, his lawyers were preparing papers to fight for the enforcement of his fundamental human right.Our Note:
The cowardly act of harassing and arresting citizens for exercising their fundamental freedoms is totally condemnable and we hope that Nigerians at home and abroad we condemn the violation of the rights of Mr. Jonathan Elendu by the illegitimate Yar'adua regime. However, we should state that Mr. Elendu is not connected with the SaharaReporters in any shape or form, he publishes an independent blog (Elendureports) that predates SaharaReporters, arresting, detaining and harrasing an innocent Nigerian based on the suspicion that he works for SaharaReporters is not only condemnable, but also fruitless, since no amount of such callous acts will deter or restrict the publication of hard -hitting evidence-based reports from our ever reliable team members.
http://saharareporters.com/www/news/detail/?id=751
5 comments:
And if I may add, we may not always like what Sahara Reporters does, but what they do is not illegal, nor is it cause to "hunt" down and arrest Nigerians or anyone else.
Thanks for spotlighting this issue!
American bloggers criticise their leaders as much as they like online. And I am yet to hear of any of them being arrested. If you don't like what someone write about you online, you can easily set-up a blog and post your own opinion.
Arresting Elendu for expressing his fundamental right of FREEDOM OF SPEECH is not a good way to show that Nigeria has respect for the RULE OF LAW!
The international community are watching, I hope they will not just keep quiet on this. :-(
Freedom so expression and democracy are defined differently in Africa and Nigeria is in Africa I suppose. President Mugabe opined that any country has the right to define anything anyway she wants......
Don't forget to join us in the online rally this Friday October 31st. Just use "FREE JONATHAN ELENDU NOW!" as the title of your blog post and FaceBook Status. Visit the Facebook page here or stop by Nigerian Curiosity.
Elendu is a Nigerian Blogger that was detained. He is now under medical care but is not free to return to his family in America. Hence the protest.
Take care!
The federal government should keep in mind that the international community is watching. Its ridiculous and insensitive to attract a journalist for reporting facts. I am a big fan of elendu and his style of reporting is awesome and amazing. I am glad is well and alive. I am sure he(elendu) has a lot of write about.....
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