(IJC/IFEX) – Security operatives arrested Babatunji Wusu, an administration officer with the magazine “The News”, on 17 September 1997. Five plainclothes agents arrived at the Ogba, Lagos office of the magazine at about 10:00 am. They introduced themselves as officers of the Federal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau (FIIB), Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, and said they […]
(IJC/IFEX) – Security operatives arrested Babatunji Wusu, an
administration officer with the magazine “The News”, on 17
September 1997. Five plainclothes agents arrived at the Ogba,
Lagos office of the magazine at about 10:00 am. They introduced
themselves as officers of the Federal Intelligence and
Investigation Bureau (FIIB), Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, and
said they had instructions to arrest the editors of the magazine.
Finding none of the editors, they arrested Wusu and drove away
with him in a metallic-coloured Peugeot 505 car. They said they
were taking him to their Alagbon Close, Ikoyi office.
In a related development, several security operatives raided the
Kano (in Kano State, northern Nigeria) office of “The News” on 16
September. They said they had instructions to arrest the paper’s
Kano correspondent, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju. When he was not
found, they forced his friend who was in the office on a private
visit to sign for the arrest warrant and give an undertaking to
produce Kolade-Otitoju within 24 hours. The warrant, dated 15
September, asked Kolade-Otitoju to report to the Criminal
Investigation Department (CID) of the Police Force Headquarters
in Abuja at 10:00 am on 17 September.
The arrest and raid are believed to be a continuation of
government’s reaction to this week’s cover story of “The News”,
entitled “Panic Over Abacha’s Illness”. On 15 September, security
operatives had arrested news agents, sub-agents and vendors, and
confiscated copies of the magazine in Abuja, the federal capital
(see IFEX alert).
