Dapo Olorunyomi, the publisher of news platform, PREMIUM TIMES, was on Thursday arrested alongside a journalist, Evelyn Okakwu, by the officials of the Nigeria Police Force at the head office of the organization in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
According to reports, the officers who were not on uniform stormed the Abuja office at about 5:00 pm and whisked away staff of the information house.
The officers said they were acting on a complaint filed by the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, some staff who witnessed the incident said.
The arrests came days after PREMIUM TIMES turned down the army’s demand to retract news stories about the Nigerian Army and its operations.
In his reaction, the Editor-in-Chief of PREMIUM TIMES, Musikilu Mojeed, condemned the raid totally as he added that the newspaper will not deter from giving out information the public needs to hear.
“They should stop deluding themselves that they can muzzle the press and intimidate PREMIUM TIMES
“They should know that our loyalty lies with our readers and the Nigerian people who have a right to know,” he remarked
He stated further that the paper will continue “to discharge its responsibilities in line with global best practices, social responsibility and patriotism, even at great risk to our personal liberties”.
