Nigerian journalist and publisher of ‘News Platform’, Precious Eze, has been arrested by personnel of the Nigeria Police Force from the Zone 2 Command at his residence in Gbagada, Lagos, on Monday, May 27.
His arrest was reportedly instigated by a complaint from businessman and politician, Prince Chris Odinaka Igwe.
Eze’s arrest followed the publication of a controversial report on the ‘News Platform’ titled ‘Gunshots in VGC: MD & CEO of Mainland Oil & Gas Ltd., Chris Odinaka Igwe, Alleged to Have Opened Fire After Dog Encounter Turns Hostile’.
This was accompanied by a rebuttal piece titled, ‘Re-Violent Attack On Dr. Chris Igwe: MD, Mainland Oil & Gas Shares His Own Side of The Story On The Incident.’
Precious Eze was detained for nearly a week before his colleagues from the Society of Digital Newspaper Owners of Nigeria (SDNON) discovered his arrest and attempted to secure his release on bail, but were unsuccessful.
Eze was subsequently arraigned before the Ebute Meta Magistrate Court on May 30, where the magistrate dismissed the case, declaring it without merit and affirming that Eze had no case to answer.
Despite the judicial rebuke of the police’s actions, Eze was returned to custody and re-arraigned before another magistrate on May 31, with the case adjourned to a later date in June.
News About Nigeria reported in May that Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), who was abducted by the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police, has finally regained his freedom after spending 10 days in police custody.
Ojukwu’s ordeal began when he went missing, with his whereabouts unknown to colleagues, family, and friends as his phone numbers were switched off.
Concerns grew as efforts to reach him proved futile, prompting FIJ to file a missing person report at local police stations.
FIJ hired a private detective who tracked the last active location of his phones to an address in Isheri Olofin, believed to be where the police initially picked him up.
Subsequently, Ojukwu’s family learned about his detention at Panti, where authorities accused him of violating the 2015 Cybercrime Act.
The Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police relocated Ojukwu to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja, and despite efforts by FIJ’s lawyers and negotiators to secure his release, stringent bail conditions were imposed by the police.
However, following a protest march by civil society organisations at the Force Headquarters demanding Ojukwu’s release, the police eventually released him after he spent 10 days in custody.
