A former reporter with PM News and The News, Desmond Utomwen, has been apprehended by police in Abuja.
According to reports, Desmond was arrested on Friday morning allegedly on the directive of a customs officer, Umar Faru.
It was gathered that Desmond, who is the publisher of Fresh News, was investigating allegations that Faru had corruptly enriched himself from which he had built a house along Turaki road, Gadabiyu Gusau in Zamfara State among others.
In other to balance his report, the journalist reportedly contacted the customs officer to react to the allegation, but rather than do this, he allegedly informed the police that his life was being threatened by Desmond.
It was said that Desmond was arrested for alleged criminal threat to life and property as well as criminal defamation of character.
However, the leadership of the Federal Capital Territory council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, waded into the case and secured the release of their colleague later on Friday.
Meanwhile, Movement for Anti-Corruption in Public Service, led by Mrs Adejoke Lawal, has promised to “take up this matter from here. We shall petition the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service to do their own internal investigation while we also approach the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the external investigation. We won’t let the matter just go like that. So he wants to use the proceeds of illegally acquired wealth to fight journalists?”
Also, co-founder of Centre Against Brutality and Safety of Journalists in Africa, CABSAJ, Ugochukwu Ezekiel, said “any reasonable person will be wondering how one can be accused of criminal defamation of character for a report that has not been published and for which opportunity was duly given for fair hearing?”
According to him, “one would have thought that the Police should have been smart to run away from criminals who employ them to do the dirty job of arresting journalists and messing up their image. Why can’t they sit down, look at the issue critically and even seek legal advice before proceeding to invade media houses to arrest journalists for doing their work.”
“He disclosed that “on this matter, we are certainly going to protest to the Inspector General of Police. We are not getting comfortable with the incessant overzealousness of the Police in indiscriminately being used to intimidate, arrest and sometime detain journalists for doing a Constitutionally guaranteed responsibility.”
