The Federal Government on Sunday night directed the military
authorities to vacate all premises of the Daily Trust Newspapers in Abuja,
Maiduguri and Lagos.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and
Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, confirmed the directive in a tweet last night.
He wrote, “The Federal Government has directed the military
to vacate the premises of Daily Trust and the order has been complied with.
“Issues between the military and the newspaper as they
affect the coverage of the war in the Northeast will be resolved through
dialogue.’’
Security agents were reported to have taken over the
headquarters of the Daily Trust newspapers in Abuja as well as its bureau
offices in Maiduguri and Lagos following the report carried by the Sunday’s
edition of the newspaper bordering on the ongoing war against insurgency in the
Northeast.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Maiduguri Bureau
Chief of the newspaper and a reporter in the state were also reported to have
been arrested by the security operatives on Sunday.
Military sources told NAN that the report with the headline;
“Commander removed as Army moves to retake Baga’’, revealed too much and
endangered the planned operation.
But in a statement, Manir Dan-Ali, the Editor-In-Chief of
the newspaper, claimed: “We have not been told of the reason for the military
operation against this newspaper but suspect it may have to do with the lead
story of the Daily Trust on Sunday that dwelt on the military’s effort to
retake some towns recently reported to have been lost to insurgents.
“Another clue is that during the invasion of our premises
both in Maiduguri and in Abuja, the military men were asking for the reporters
who wrote the story.
“Media Trust Limited condemns this unlawful act and calls on
the military authorities to release the two reporters arrested in Maiduguri and
return the dozens of computers that were taken from our newsroom.
“We also like to thank our colleagues in the media and all
others who have been calling and supporting us in our hour of need.
“We also appreciate the efforts of some government officials
who insist that there is a better way of handling relations with the media.”’
(NAN)
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This is just an issue of a misplaced priority. The soldiers don't know their roles any more
ReplyDeleteSoldiers that should be facing Boko Haram...Chai
ReplyDelete