The editor of the online newspaper Global Upfront, Madu Onuorah, was abducted by Nigerian police officers on Wednesday.
Onuorah, who also serves as the newspaper’s Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, was taken from his residence in Lugbe, Abuja, at around 6 p.m. in the presence of his wife and children.
According to the management of Global Upfront, about ten fully-armed policemen arrived at Onuorah’s home in two Sienna buses and whisked him away without presenting a warrant of arrest.
Since the incident, Onuorah has remained incommunicado, with no contact from his family, lawyer, or workplace.
In a statement dated May 23, 2024, obtained by PUNCH Online, the newspaper’s management condemned the police action. “Anybody who has any issue against Mr. Onuorah should approach the law court and not turn the Nigeria Police into a Gestapo outfit that bullies a man in the presence of his wife and children,” the statement read.
The management has called for Onuorah’s immediate and unconditional release, stating that “any second Mr. Onuorah spends in police custody constitutes a serious infringement against his fundamental rights and a continuation of the assault on freedom of expression that has become a frequent occurrence in Nigeria recently.”
The statement also noted that the policemen who abducted Onuorah were not from the Lugbe Police Station. They reportedly “dumped him at the station and left no traces for friends and family members to reach them.”
Onuorah is a seasoned journalist with a distinguished career, including roles as the former Abuja Bureau Chief of The Guardian Newspaper and former Managing Director of The Authority Newspaper.
This incident is part of a troubling pattern of abductions and intimidation of journalists in Nigeria. In recent months, there have been several high-profile cases of journalists being abducted by security forces.
– Segun Olatunji, the General Editor of First News, was abducted from his home in Iyana Odo, Abule Egba, Lagos State, on March 15, 2024. Armed men took Olatunji away without providing any information to his family. He was detained by operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency. On May 8, 2024, Olatunji resigned from his position, and First News management apologized to Femi Gbajabiamila, President Bola Tinubu’s chief of staff, for a story published in January 2024.
– Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, was abducted by the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, on May 1, 2024.
These incidents highlight the increasing dangers faced by journalists in Nigeria and the ongoing threats to freedom of expression and press freedom in the country.
