PREMIUM TIMES to army: We’ll hold you responsible if any harm befalls our staff

PREMIUM TIMES says it will hold the Nigerian army responsible should anything happen to its staff.

It also has asked the army to tender an apology over an alleged threat issued against the organisation.

These were in response to a letter by the Nigerian army threatening legal action against the newspaper for publications about the army and Tukur Buratai, its chief.

The letter claimed the paper published reports without reference to the army, saying the stories exposed a “deep hatred for the leadership of the Nigerian army”.

The army described the stories as “false, unsubstantiated, and unprofessional” and demanded an apology.

The letter demanded PREMIUM TIMES retract the reports and apologise to the army. However, the publication stood by its story, forcing the army to head to court.

“The Nigerian army has instituted a legal action against an online publication, the Premium Times over its failure to retract and apologise over false, subversive and malicious publications against the person of the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai and the Nigerian Army,” the army said in a statement.

“All efforts to make the medium make amend proved abortive.

“Consequently, the Nigerian Army sent a letter to the management of the of the online publishers to retract and apologize before 31st December 2016.

“The medium however remained adamant and recalcitrant. Consequently, the Nigerian Army has briefed its lawyers to institute legal action against the medium.”

Through its lawyers, PREMIUM TIMES delivered a detailed response to the army, affirming its stories and rejecting the demand for retractions and apology.

The paper, instead, asked the army to write, within seven days of receiving the reply, a letter withdrawing the allegations and threats against it and its staff, or risk being sued.

Jiti Ogunye, the newspaper’s principal counsel, who signed the response, took the army to task on the “grave implications” of its letter, and described it as a threat to the well-being and life of PREMIUM TIMES’ staff.

“By your letter you have threatened the lives of our clients, and our clients are thus obliged to put the public on notice that should any harm come to them, you, the Chief of Army Staff and the Nigerian Army should be held accountable,” he wrote.

“The chilling threat contained in the army’s letter is an affront on the constitutional guarantee of civilian control of the army and the freedom of the press.

“It is our view that all working journalists and news outlets are entitled to some protection from public officers, especially of the military and security agencies who are charged with the duty to secure and protect Nigeria and Nigerians, their lives and property, and maintain law and order, but who often, because of the uniqueness of that duty and for reason of the exclusive bearing of arms and control of our commonly owned ordinance, assume very erroneously that they are above the law.”

He rebuked the army for describing PREMIUM TIMES’ stories as “unprofessional”, saying military and other public officials were not in a position to question the paper’s professionalism.

PREMIUM TIMES asked the army to write a letter, addressed to its publisher, Dapo Olorunyomi, withdrawing the threats and allegations.

The paper warned of legal action to enforce its fundamental rights.

“In the circumstances, we hereby demand that you write a letter of withdrawal of these threats and allegations, to our clients, wherein you are to assure them of their safety and protection by the security and law enforcement agencies in Nigeria, in particular, the Nigerian Army. The letter, to be addressed to Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, Managing Director of Premium Services Ltd/ Editor in Chief of Premium Times must be received within seven (7) working days of delivery of this letter to you,” the newspaper said.

“That should you fail, refuse or neglect to write and deliver the above letter as demanded, our clients will not hesitate to institute a legal action against you, your principals, the Nigerian Army and the Federal Government of Nigeria, to enforce their fundamental rights under the Constitution.”