
The Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ in the South East zone, has condemned what it called the unlawful and unwarranted arrest and detention of Journalists by men of the Ebonyi State Police Command for alleged ties with members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB.
It would be recalled that the Ebonyi State correspondent of New Telegraph Newspaper, Uchenna Inya was reportedly detained by the police, following a tip off that he was doing a report on the 17th anniversary of the MASSOB in the state.
Though the said report was not published, yet Inya was allegedly detained for more than five hours with his phone and working tools taken from him, before he was later released.
National Vice President of the NUJ in the South East zone, Chris Isiguzo, on Friday condemned the actions of the police.
He stressed that the arrest and detention of journalists does not conform to the principles of true democracy as is being practiced in the country.
He said the police should not see Journalists as enemies but allies in the fight against criminality and social vices.
Isiguzo also appealed to journalists to ensure that their operations are within the ambit of the law and to present their reports accurately and objectively.
He said journalists must eschew rancor and infighting among themselves so as not to give those outside the scope of journalism the leverage to molest them.