(MRA/IFEX) – On 19 January 2005, the Rivers State Police Command arrested Jerry Needam, publisher of the Port Harcourt-based weekly tabloid “National Network”, for publishing reports considered negative to Rivers State Police Commissioner Sylvester Araba. A team of police officers picked up Needam, publisher of the newly established newspaper, on the morning of 19 January […]
(MRA/IFEX) – On 19 January 2005, the Rivers State Police Command arrested Jerry Needam, publisher of the Port Harcourt-based weekly tabloid “National Network”, for publishing reports considered negative to Rivers State Police Commissioner Sylvester Araba.
A team of police officers picked up Needam, publisher of the newly established newspaper, on the morning of 19 January as he arrived at his office in Port Harcourt. Needam is also a former special assistant to the Rivers State information commissioner.
Although the police did not provide formal reasons for his arrest, reports quoted a senior police officer as saying that the command was angered by a report in the newspaper portraying the commission in a bad light.
Needam and Araba had returned from Israel the week of 10 January Their trip was sponsored by the Rivers State government for the annual pilgrimage to the holy land. On his return, Needam published a story on the front page of his newspaper reporting that the police commissioner “slumped while climbing Mount Sinai.” The newspaper described Araba’s collapse as “mysterious” since he had been certified as fit by doctors before embarking on the journey. The newspaper also reported that a senior Rivers State Government House official also collapsed in Jerusalem, while many others engaged in amorous acts in the holy land.
Prior to Needam’s arrest, the newspaper had run a promotion promising to publish “dirty deals” embarked upon by government officials while in Israel in the next edition.
Needam’s whereabouts are unknown.
