Military has confirmed FirstNews editor is in their custody, says IPI Nigeria

The Nigerian chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI) says Segun Olatunji, the missing editor of FirstNews, is in the custody of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Premium Times reports that Mohammed Idris, minister of information, quoted top military officers as admitting that their men seized the editor.

Idris reportedly disclosed this to officials of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the International Press Institute on Wednesday night.

He said the DIA had now committed to releasing the journalist on Thursday.

Olatunji was abducted by armed men in his home in Iyana Odo, Abule Egba area of Lagos, on March 15.

Since his abduction, family members of the editor are yet to receive any information from those who took him away.

The management of the media platform had linked the abduction to a recent story published by FirstNews.

Many groups, including the NUJ, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, and IPI Nigeria, have called for the release of the editor.

In a statement on Wednesday, IPI Nigeria asked the military to tell the world why Olatunji was arrested, where he is being kept, and why he has not been charged to court.

IPI Nigeria asked President Bola Tinubu to direct military authorities to immediately release the editor or charge him to court if he committed any offence.

“Multiple checks by IPI Nigeria reveal that Mr. Olatunji is in the custody of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), an agency under the command of Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, who, in turn, reports to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Musa,” the statement reads.

“For the past eleven days, the abducted journalist has been kept incommunicado, with his family, employers, and colleagues unaware of his whereabouts.

“IPI Nigeria has received inquiries about this matter from all over the world. The Institute has also contacted the Nigeria Police, the Nigerian Army, the Defence Intelligence Agency, the Defence Headquarters, and the Ministry of Information and National Orientation seeking information on Mr Olatunji and demanding his release. All efforts in this direction have so far failed.”