Nigeria’s
secret police accuses Reuters’ journalist of spying
A reporter with Reuters News Agency,
Tife Owolabi, taken in for questioning by operatives of the Department of State
Security Service in Yenagoa, has been freed.
Mr. Owolabi, who confirmed his
release on Monday, said his personal computer, tablet device, cameras and
external hard drives and memory cards remained in the custody of the DSS.
He was freed Saturday.
The Nigerian government had
been accused of trying to restrict the international media from covering
the 2015 general elections by refusing to issue visas and accreditation.
Mr. Owolabi said his ordeal at
the hands of the security services had to do with his work for the foreign
media platform.
“They came to my place and searched
the apartment and carted away my work tools including my mobile phones and
detained me and said that they had suspicion that I was engaged in espionage
for foreign concerns.
“I had no fears because I was sure I
had not done anything in the discharge of my duties as a journalist. They said
I was unpatriotic and held on to my working tools.
“I am hoping that they will release
those items when I return to their office later today. I express my gratitude
to fellow journalists who stood by me and I guess it is one of the hazards of
the job,” Mr. Owolabi said.
When contacted on the development, a
top official of the Bayelsa Command of DSS, who declined to be named, dismissed
the charges of espionage levelled against the reporter.
“I am not aware of his arrest
because I am not the one handling the matter and moreover I am not authorized
to speak on operations. But I can tell you that if he is accused of espionage,
he should not be handled at the state command level,” the official said.
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