The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for the immediate release of PREMIUM TIMES reporter, Samuel Ogundipe, who was arrested on Tuesday and subsequently detained by the police over a report.
A statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Wednesday also condemned the alleged denial of personal freedom and manhandling of the newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief, Musikilu Mojeed, and its education correspondent, Azeezat Adedigba by the police.
“The party holds that the continued detention of Mr. Ogundipe is against his fundamental right to freedom as enshrined in the 1999 constitution (as amended).
“The PDP insists that the incessant clampdown on journalists and media houses by the Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration is completely unacceptable in a democracy and only reminiscent of military Decree 4 of 1984 that empowers then dictatorial regime to arrest and detain journalists over reports considered to be against its interest. The PDP therefore calls on the general media and all lovers of democracy and free speech in the country to speak out against the unabating assault on the media by the APC administration as such poses a huge threat to our democracy and the rights of citizens in our country,” the statement reads.
Ogundipe was secretly arraigned by the police at a Magistrate Court in Kubwa on Wednesday over allegation of criminal trespass and theft of police document.
