THE African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has confirmed the arrest f its Coordinator, Chido Onumah by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) also known as Department of State Service.
The ICIR had earlier reported how Onumah was picked up at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport as he returned from Barcelona, Spain, where he had just successfully defended his PhD thesis.
Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, AFRICMIL programme manager, in a statement made available to The ICIR expressed alarm at the arrest, saying that waylaying law-abiding citizens should not be the preoccupation of an entire security outfit.
The statement read, “The African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) is alarmed over the arrest of its Coordinator, Chido Onumah, this evening, by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS).”
“Onumah was picked up at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on his return from a trip abroad.
“AFRICMIL condemns in strong terms the unjustifiable arrest of Onumah and demands his immediate and unconditional release.
“Waylaying law-abiding citizens should not be turned into the preoccupation of an entire security outfit.
The arrest of Onumah, coming at the heels of harassment of other critical voices, smacks of grotesque days of the Nigerian history that Onumah and his comrades fought steely against.”
Olayinka works with The ICIR as the Social Media Manager, Reporter and Fact-checker. You can shoot him an email via [email protected]. You can as well follow him on Twitter via @BelloYinka72