The Federal Government will not do anything to stifle press freedom, because it is keenly aware that a free press is vital to the success of any democracy, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said.
In a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, the minister said the government has nothing to do with the recent arrest of Premium Times Publisher, Dapo Olorunyomi, and the online newspaper’s judiciary reporter, Evelyn Okakwu.
He said the whole issue of the journalists’ arrest is purely a private affair involving a citizen and a privately-owned newspaper, and wondered how that could now be construed as an attempt by the government to intimidate the press.
“We have said it before and we want to re-state it: The Federal Government has no immediate or long-term plan to stifle press freedom. Even the social media, with its warts and all, will neither be regulated nor have its operations tampered with,” Mohammed said.
Mr Olorunyomi and Ms Okakwu were arrested on Thursday last week when policemen stormed Premium Times’ head office in Abuja following a complaint of defamation of character by Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.
