(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 2 July 2001 letter to President Olusegun Obasanjo, CPJ expressed concern over the recent arrest and continuing prosecution of Nnamdi Onyenua, editor of the weekly, Lagos-based magazine “Glamour Trends”, on charges of criminal defamation. During the afternoon of 8 June, armed policemen entered the offices of Millennium Communications, which publishes “Glamour […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 2 July 2001 letter to President Olusegun Obasanjo, CPJ expressed concern over the recent arrest and continuing prosecution of Nnamdi Onyenua, editor of the weekly, Lagos-based magazine “Glamour Trends”, on charges of criminal defamation.
During the afternoon of 8 June, armed policemen entered the offices of Millennium Communications, which publishes “Glamour Trends”. In a style reminiscent of the country’s former military regime, the officers fired their guns in the air to disperse employees. Then they forcibly arrested Onyenua and drove him to Abuja under heavy police escort.
Onyenua’s arrest resulted from an article titled, Secrets Behind Obasanjo’s Trips, that appeared in the magazine’s 6 June edition. The article alleged that the president receives US$1 million in allowances for each overseas trip, and that as of 30 May, he had amassed US$58 million in allowances over two years.
Shortly after the article appeared, the office of the Inspector General of Police received a letter from the president stating that because these allegations were not substantiated, “Glamour Trends” had “committed an offence punishable under section 392 of the Penal Code Law.”
According to CPJ’s sources in Nigeria, Onyenua was detained for more than eleven days pending investigation of the case. Although Nigerian law mandates that no prisoner can be held more than twenty-four hours without formal charges, Onyenua was not arraigned until 19 June, when he was charged with publishing false information and defaming the president. On or about 21 June, he was released on bail.
CPJ is dismayed that the president would bring such charges against a journalist. While he may take exception to the allegations printed in Onyenua’s magazine, this is plainly not a criminal matter. In fact, there is a growing international consensus that journalists should never face criminal charges for their professional work, and that public officials have a particular responsibility to refrain from using defamation laws to shield themselves from criticism.
While Nigeria’s vibrant press is once again covering important political and economic issues under the president’s administration, journalists still face legal restrictions and periodic hostility. Although press freedom is guaranteed in Section 22 of the Nigerian Constitution, harsh criminal defamation laws remain on the books. Moreover, publishers can be jailed for up to three years and fined substantial sums for failing to register with the newly formed government Press Council.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– urging him to demonstrate his commitment to press freedom by dropping the criminal defamation charges against Onyenua
– calling on him to work towards the repeal of all laws that criminalise defamation and other press offenses
Appeals To
President Olusegun Obasanjo
State House, Abuja
Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Fax: +234 9 523 2136
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
