By Abimbola Ogunnaike
The abducted Editor of FirstNews Newspaper, Segun Olatunji, on Thursday, 28 March, 2024, recounted his ordeal at the hands of the military personnel who abducted him from his Lagos home and flew him to Abuja blindfolded as well as spent three days in cell with hands tied.
Military authorities had earlier on Thursday, 28 March, 2024 yielded to pressure and released Olatunji, who was abducted from his home in Lagos State on Friday, 15 March, 2024.
The PUNCH confirmed that he was released to some media stakeholders, including Yomi Odunuga of The Nation newspaper and Iyobosa Uwugiaren of Thisday Newspaper in Abuja after sustained pressure from the media.
They were asked to guarantee that they would make Olatunji available if needed again.
The International Press Institute, the Nigeria Guild of Editors, and Olatunji’s employers had in separate statements faulted his incarceration, asking authorities to either release the editor or charge him to court.
Narrating his ordeal after his release at a press briefing organised by the leaderships of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Nigeria Union of Journalists and IPI in Abuja, Olatunji said he was blindfolded and flown to the Federal Capital Territory where he was moved to a cell in handcuffs and leg chains for almost three days.
He said, “Someone came claiming to be from the military. He identified himself as Colonel Lawal. Immediately, he seized my phones.
“I went to the room to dress up. By the time I got downstairs, I saw soldiers inside the compound taking positions. Outside the gate, I saw about three vehicles with Air Force personnel, Army, Defence Intelligence Agency, and others all fully armed.
“I was handcuffed and taken straight to the office of the National Air Defence Corps where we waited for three hours. I did not know that they were waiting for an aircraft to pick me up to Abuja.
“When the aircraft landed, I was blindfolded and moved to the aircraft, and we landed in Abuja shortly. I was leg cuffed also. They removed my clothes and I was left with my boxers. I was taken to Cell 9.
“There, I was left with leg and handcuffs. And at a point, one of the officers came and tightened the right leg and the right hand, and I was there groaning in pain. They did not loosen it until about two or three days after.
“Up till now, I could still feel the pains in my hands and legs.”
Olatunji said those behind his ordeal were close to the government based on the questions he was asked.
He added, “They were asking me questions about certain stories that FirstNews had published.
“They first told me that I was one of those abusing the Chief of Defence Intelligence (Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye). They did not say much about that.”
He said they also asked him about a story FirstNews had published about the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu (Mr Femi Gbajabiamila), which they described as a “major thing”.
“That is why I told some people earlier that those behind my arrest are people in the corridors of power who are not happy with FirstNews is doing and are bent on taking their own pound of flesh,” he added.
