Sunday Egena Odeh, a state house correspondent of Peoples
Daily, an Abuja-based newspaper, has reportedly been arrested by officers of
the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The journalist was said to have been arrested alongside
Johnson Ubeh, his cousin, on Friday, on the orders of the Benue state
government for criticising Samuel Ortom, the governor. But Johnson was
reportedly released later.
Odeh, who hails from the state, was reportedly whisked away
from his base in the outskirts of Abuja to Makurdi, the state capital.
Odeh had authored a statement on April 7 as president of
Igede Media Professionals (AIMPs) blaming Ortom for the escalation of the
Bonta-Ukpute conflict in the state.
He also asked government appointees from the Igede ethnic
group to resign from the governor’s cabinet.
“Since last year when the crisis erupted, we have been
mounting pressure on Governor Samuel Ortom to resolve the issues at the centre
of the dispute; namely, boundary demarcation, with a view to putting an
enduring end to the frequent clashes over land dispute by the Bonta and Ukpute
communities,” Ode wrote.
“Only about a fortnight ago while empathizing with him over
an alleged assassination attempt on his life, we reminded the governor to spare
a thought for the people of the two communities who had been facing untold
hardships due to the lingering communal war.
“Unfortunately, our
suggestions have fallen on deaf ears, or at best had attracted name-calling by
the governor’s aide who preferred to see us as a faceless group.
“Accordingly, for not caring enough about the lives of our
people who have been slaughtered in their hundreds, their houses burnt down and
farm produce destroyed, especially following the renewed attacks that have
continued unabated in the past six weeks, we are calling on all appointees of
Igede extraction in Governor Ortom’s cabinet to pull out with immediate effect.
“We face an existential threat whose enormity has now been
brought to the fore by the treatment given to the soldiers on patrol along the
Ukpute-Bonta road. This has simply revealed the fire we have been facing as a
people over time.”
In the statement, Odeh commended Ibrahim Attahiru, chief of
army staff for the “uncommon discipline, professionalism” he showed in handling
the attack against soldiers militias in the state.
Emmanuel Ogbeche, chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists
(NUJ), federal capital territory chapter, said the police arrested Odeh based
on a petition by the state government and following his alleged refusal to
honour their invitation.
“However, assurances have been given of his safety and
imminent release this afternoon,” Ogbeche said.
Attempts to reach Terver Akase, Ortom’s chief press
secretary, were unsuccessful as his phone line was not reachable.
Speaking with TheCable, Catherine Anene, spokesperson of the
police command in Benue, said she is not aware of the Odeh’s arrest by its
officers.
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