Police ‘arrest’ Premium Times’ publisher, reporter over story on Buratai

The police have arrested Dapo Olorunyomi, publisher of Premium Times, and Evelyn Okakwu, a reporter, over a report on Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff.

Adebayo Hassan, one of the online newspaper’s reporters, confirmed this to TheCable.

Hassan explained that Dapo Olorunyomi and Okakwu were arrested at the newspaper’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.

He said Okakwu had written a report from the statement of  Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNC), which is led by Olanrewaju Suraju,  that the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) had expressed interest in investigating Buratai over allegations of corruption.

Speaking with TheCable, Musikilu Mojeed, editor-in-chief of Premium Times, said the newspaper would not be intimidated.

“We condemn this.  It is an attack on press freedom,” Mojeed said.

“The army should stop deluding themselves that they can muzzle the press. Our loyalty lies with the people. We are not intimidated.

“The police came to our office because the chief of army staff complained that we defamed him. If he feels we have defamed him, he should go to court, and not raid a newspaper.”

Before this incident, the army had made threats against the newspaper over some of its reports that it found unfavourable.

The duo were still in police custody as of the time of filing this report.