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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

IPI Nigeria, CPJ Demand Immediate Release of Journalist Stanley Ugagbe from Detention

From ThisDay · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • International press organizations IPI Nigeria and CPJ demand the immediate release of journalist Stanley Ugagbe.
  • Ugagbe was reportedly abducted from his Abuja residence by unidentified men and his whereabouts remain unknown.
  • The organizations condemn the detention, citing violations of constitutional rights and damage to Nigeria's democratic image.

Journalist Stanley Ugagbe, working for the online platform Secret Reporters, has been reportedly abducted from his Abuja residence. The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) are demanding his immediate release.

According to available reports, four unidentified men abducted the journalist from his residence in Abuja on Wednesday.

— IPI NigeriaStatement detailing the circumstances of Stanley Ugagbe's reported abduction.

According to reports, four unidentified men took Ugagbe into custody shortly after his publication released an investigative report. The Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Secret Reporters, Fejiro Oliver, alleged that Nigerian Police Force officers carried out the operation. They reportedly seized Ugagbe's official laptop and mobile phone from his home before taking him to an unknown location.

Our lawyer and editor, alongside a senior reporter, searched the former SARS facility, the FCT Police Command and the Force Headquarters without finding him.

— Fejiro OliverDescribing the efforts made to locate the detained journalist.

Searches by Oliver's lawyer, editor, and other reporters at various police facilities, including the former SARS facility, FCT Police Command, and Force Headquarters, failed to locate Ugagbe. His current whereabouts remain unknown, and he has allegedly been denied access to his family, legal representatives, and employer.

IPI Nigeria strongly condemns both the manner of his arrest and the decision to hold him incommunicado.

— IPI NigeriaExpressing strong disapproval of the journalist's arrest and detention conditions.

IPI Nigeria strongly condemned the arrest and the decision to hold Ugagbe incommunicado, stating it violates his constitutional rights. The organization questioned why security agencies would resort to unlawful arrests of journalists amidst Nigeria's security challenges. They urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct relevant agencies to produce Ugagbe, disclose the legal basis for his arrest, grant him access to legal counsel and family, or charge him promptly if evidence exists.

The continued criminalisation of legitimate journalistic work by security agencies not only undermines press freedom and the rule of law but also damages the democratic credentials and international reputation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

— IPI NigeriaHighlighting the negative impact of the journalist's detention on Nigeria's image and democratic standing.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ThisDay in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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