The FCT Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Thursday in Abuja called for the immediate release of Mr Madu Onuorah, Editor-in-Chief of the Globalupfront Online Newspaper.
In a statement jointly signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Òsárétín Òsádébàmwén and Ochiaka Ugwu respectively, the council expressed worries over the spate of harassment of journalists in the guise of making arrest by the Police.
“While we are not averse to the right of citizens to seek redress over legitimate infringement on their rights, we believe that constitutional means should be strictly adhered to in doing this.
“A condemnable case in point, is the commando like raiding of the home of Onuorah.
“The manner of arrest leaves much to be desired from a legitimate force of the state; the Nigeria Police which should have been civil, instead, intimidated and forcefully whisked away Onuorah in a manner akin to kidnapping.
“We condemn this total abuse of power laced with intimidation and demand his immediate release,” the council stressed.
The council insisted that, in a situation where a citizen or organisation is believed to have a case to answer, the constitutional path should be activated and followed.
“The NUJ will continue to hold the government and its institutions accountable for the people”.
