journalist flied to Abuja over Facebook post to avoid arrest by Police

Some plain-clothes policemen on Friday arrested and whisked to Abuja a journalist based in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Jerry Edoho.

The young journalist, who is the Deputy Editor of Ibom Nation Newspaper, a local publication, was arrested by the security operatives and forcibly taken to the Federal Capital over a post he allegedly put up on his Facebook page involving Dana Air.

Edoho, had while reacting to a photograph of a purported crash involving a Dana flight heading to Lagos from Abuja in which he was tagged, sought clarification from friends on his list to confirm the authenticity of the story.

He had written, “Rumor via social media (Facebook) has it that Dana Air enroute Abj-Lag with 153 passengers crashed killing all on board. Please could someone help verify the authenticity of this shocking report? Below is (the) pix from the scene as uploaded on my wall.”

But following a petition by Dana Air to the police authorities in Abuja after the said photograph became a hot topic of discussion among a section of Facebook users; Edoho was arrested in Uyo on Friday and taken to the FCT on a Dana flight scheduled to leave by 4pm.

Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, who confirmed the incident to Saturday PUNCH around 8pm on Friday shortly before leaving Uyo for Lagos, said he saw three plain-clothes security officers forcibly taking Edoho away while still at the Ibom International Airport, Uyo.

He said, “Jerry Edoho sighted me at the Ibom International Airport, Uyo, and alerted me that he was being taken forcibly to Abuja by a team of plain-clothes security men over a publication on Facebook.

“He told me that he was tagged in a post about the recent rumoured crash of a Dana plane, which was false. That, upon being tagged, he made a post like several other Nigerians asking whether the crash report was true. The security men were to convey him to Abuja via a Dana flight that was scheduled to depart by 4pm.

“The security men confronted me for speaking with him ‘without their permission.’ I retorted that Mr. Edoho is a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and that his right to freedom of expression cannot be taken away. This resulted in an altercation between me and the security men whose identity I cannot immediately ascertain. I understand that his arrest followed a petition by Dana Air to the Nigeria Police Force.

“I am using this platform to urge both the police and the management of Dana Air to respect the fundamental rights of Mr. Edoho. He should be released on bail pending the conclusion of investigation into whatever allegations that have been made against him. This is a democracy, not a dictatorship.”

When contacted, Spokesperson for Dana Air, Mr. Kingsley Ezenwa, said he wasn’t aware of the issue but that he would get back to our correspondent as soon as he was able to confirm the matter. His response was still being expected as of the time the paper went to press.

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Prostitutes beat suspected boko haram till death in Delta state

There was chaos at a brothel, Big Dafe, located along the East-West Road, Ughelli in Delta State in the wee hours of Thursday as a prostitute, her colleagues and some hired thugs pounced on a customer suspected to be a Boko Haram member.
The customer, alleged to be a herdsman, simply identified as Usman, was said to have approached the prostitute, named Amaka, and paid her N5,000 for ‘a night stand.’

The duo was said to have gone into the room together when upon removing his clothes, a deadly weapon fell off Usman’s trouser.

An eyewitness was quoted by Vanguard as saying: “While the man was taking off his clothing after paying the lady N5,000 at about 1:30a.m., his dagger fell out.
“On sighting his dagger, Amaka immediately raised the alarm that he is a Boko Haram member, who wanted to kill her.
“Immediately the Aboki and the girl came out from the room, wife of the owner of the brothel ordered the thugs, who were playing a game of pool, to beat Usman and a male sympathizer, who was pleading on his behalf,” the eyewitness said.
It was learnt that the duo was arrested by policemen from Ughelli ‘A’ Division.

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Fifteen died in imo auto carsh

 

Chidiebube Okeoma, Owerri

Not less than fifteen lives were said to have been lost when an 18-seater bus collided with a tanker on the Owerri-Aba Expressway on Friday.

The bus, which was fully loaded with passengers, was on its way to Aba from Owerri when it was involved in the accident after Obibiezena Junction, which is close to Shangrila Hotel in the Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State.

According to sources, the driver of the bus, which belonged to Goodness and Mercy Motors Limited, was trying to overtake the tanker when the accident occurred, killing 15 people on the spot.

According to eyewitnesses, the passengers that survived the accident sustained serious injuries.

An eyewitness, Chigozie Iheanacho, described the spot where the accident occurred as a “death trap and that the road needs to be expanded.”

He, however, blamed the bus driver for the tragedy by saying “it was the fault of the reckless bus driver.”

Another eyewitness, Christian Madu, attributed the cause of the accident to speeding.

Madu said, “Drivers should always drive with care and caution too. Speeding and careless overtaking are not good.”

When our correspondent visited the accident scene, men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force were there to offer assistance to the victims and their family members

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Boko Haram kills 15 local hunters in Borno

No fewer than 15 hunters have been slaughtered in the bushes between Gubio and Mobbar Local Government Areas of Borno State by members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect.
According to Vanguard, the incident has resulted to the scarcity of grasshopper, otherwise known as ‘Fara’ in Hausa, in the market within the state.

According to a source, the insurgents clashed with the victims in the bushes near Kareto community, north of the state.
The source revealed that “15 people were killed by terrorists while they were combing bushes around Kareto area to hunt grasshoppers.

“When the grasshopper hunters were in the bush, some group of terrorists suddenly appeared and started shooting sporadically, after which they killed one of the hunters before slaughtering 14 and fled without any arrest”.
Confirming the development, Mrs. Hanatu Jauro who fries Fara in Maiduguri, said she had been finding it very difficult to get the commodity for sale, as one of her customers was among those killed in the ambush.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer, Victor Isuku has not confirmed the latest development.

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