THE International Press Centre (IPC) has condemned the harassment of its Executive Director Lanre Arogundade by officials of the State Security Service (SSS).
This was contained in a statement signed by the IPC Press Freedom Officer Melody Akinjiyan on Tuesday, April 16.
According to the statement, SSS officials accosted Arogundade at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) on Thursday, April 11.
“The incident of Thursday April 11, while Mr. Arogundade prepared to board a late-night Air France Flight to Berlin, Germany to participate in the respective general meetings and conferences of the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) and the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) would be the umpteenth of such unwelcome development.
“Mr. Arogundade is a renowned journalist, advocate for social justice and democracy, former Chairman of the Lagos State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists and former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students. We believe these roles and positions should not warrant his unending torment by the DSS,” the statement read.
Arogundade had been held down by SSS officials for 40 minutes at the airport on Thursday over claims that his name was on their watch list.
According to the statement, he said that two years ago, the SSS Director-General Yusuf Magaji Bichi said his name had been taken off the Service’s watch list during a meeting with members of the International Press Institute (IPI).
“Mr. Arogundade additionally informed IPC management that the senior DSS official to whom he was referred threatened to bar him from traveling unless he produced his old passports, describing the request as ‘bizarre and ridiculous.’
“IPC holds that the persistent harassment violates Mr. Arogundade’s right to freedom of movement while undermining basic democratic principles,” the statement read.
The organisation urged the Director-General and officials of the SSS, especially those stationed at the MMIA to desist from further harassing Arogundade.
Recently, a Nigerian journalist, Segun Olatunji, had been abducted by the military and detained in an unknown location for nearly two weeks.
His detention was linked to a report, “Revealed: Defence Chief running office like family business – Public Interest Lawyers,” which was published by his organisation.
The IPI, Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) and NUJ representatives, Mojeed, Iyobosa Uwugiaren and Chris Isiguzo, respectively, during a press briefing, disclosed that efforts to find out his location and secure his release initially proved abortive, despite the involvement of top government officials.
Both men are among the many journalists who have been attacked or harassed, especially by state actors in Nigeria.
The ICIR reported that at least 39 journalists were harassed by state and non-state actors in 2023 alone.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.