[Reader-list] Nigeria Security detain journalist, to try him for sedition

[Tunde Aremu]

Lagos, June 26, 2006: The Nigeria State Security Service (SSS) may charge a Nigerian journalist, Rotimi Durojaiye, to court tomorrow for Sedition. 
   
  Durojaiye, a Senior Aviation Correspondent with the Independent Newspaper, a daily newspaper in Nigeria is being detained for two days running over a story published by the newspaper on an aeroplane purchased by the country’s presidency that has continued to generate controversy.
   
  The story with the headline, Controversy Over Age, Cost Of Presidential Jet published on the front page of the paper on June 12, 2006 had given elaborate information on the presidential jet which developed technical fault and made emergency landing barely three weeks after it was delivered.
   
  The reporter had been painstaking in investigating the story speaking to government officials including some of the aides to the president.
   
  As at this afternoon, Rotimi Durojaiye was still being held and denied access to relatives and colleagues by the security agency. In a telephone discussion with the Managing Editor of the Independent Newspaper, Akpandem James told the International Press Centre, Lagos that “they have taken his mobile phone from him. At a time we would call and there would be no response. Later when we call, the answering machine would respond that the phone has been turned off”.
   
  Akpandem said that efforts at securing the release of the reporter are being thwarted. “They said at a stage that we should bring a surety they would release him to. Later we learnt that he would be charged to court,” 
   
  Rotimi Durojaiye is the second reporter that would be arrested and detained by the SSS over the presidential jet controversy. A presenter with an independent television station, AIT, Gbenga Aruleba was arrested two weeks ago for discussing the presidential jet on his programme, Focus Nigeria.
   
   
  Tunde Aremu
  Senior Programme Officer
  International Press Centre
  11, Dideolu Court
  Dideolu Estate
  2nd Gate bus stop
  Ogba, Lagos State, Nigeria
  231-1-8112422, 234-802-3180493
  taremu at ipcng.org, tunsaremu at yahoo.co.uk, ipc at ipcng.org
  www.ipcng.org

 		
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