Police seize journalist in presence of wife, children, whisk him to Ebonyi

Publisher of the Globalupfront Newspaper (Online), Madu Onuorah, has been abducted by men suspected to be police from his home in Abuja.

A statement by the management of the newspaper indicated that Onuorah was whisked away by 10 armed policemen who stormed his residence in Lugbe, Abuja, in two Sienna buses around 6pm on Wednesday.

According to the statement, Onuorah was arrested in the presence of his wife and children.

The policemen reportedly seized Onuorah’s phones, cutting him off from communicatinf with his family and lawyer.

“He was not even allowed to contact his lawyer or any of his relations before he was whisked away to the Lugbe police station by the stern looking operatives.

“To make sure Mr. Onuorah did not get attention or bail, the policemen who arrested him, though not of the Lugbe Police Station, simply dumped him at the Station and left no traces for friends and family members to reach them,” the management of the newspaper said.

It was however gathered that the veteran journalist was taken from the Lugbe police station and transported to Ebonyi State.

Meanwhile, the Management of Globalupfront Newspapers has demanded immediate and unconditional release of Onuorah by the police.

The newspaper management noted that “Onuorah is an experienced journalist, former Abuja Bureau Chief of The Guardian Newspaper, former Managing-Director of The AUTHORITY Newspaper, who operates within the ambit of the law and anybody who has any issue against him should approach the law court and not turn the Nigerian Police into a Gestapo outfit that bullies a man in the presence of his wife and children.”

“Any second Mr. Onuorah spends in police custody constitutes a serious infringement against his fundamental rights and a continuation of the assault on freedom of expression that has become frequent occurrence in Nigeria recently,” the Management of Globalupfront Newspapers added.