Premium Times reporter, Samuel Ogundipe has spoken from where he’s being detained by the Police in Abuja. Ogundipe was arrested by the Police over the source of a report he wrote on the invasion of the National Assembly by the DSS.
The Nigeria Police have stayed relentless in their violation of human rights and legal proceedings as Ogundipe was arraigned secretly in a Magistrate court in Kubwa, Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, on Wednesday, without the consent of his attorneys.
According to Premium Times, Ogundipe was allowed to see his attorney but arraigned the young man without the knowledge of his legal representatives.
He was reportedly charged with criminal trespass and theft of police document.
The newspaper said though Ogundipe’s lawyer was allowed access to him at the facility of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS) in Abuja on Wednesday morning, the lawyer was asked to leave only for him (Ogundipe) to be later taken to court “without prior notice”.
It was at the court that the journalist reportedly got a phone to inform the newspaper of the new development.
Ogundipe was quoted as saying: “They brought me to a magistrate court in Kubwa where they arraigned me. The magistrate said they should detain me for five days.
“They accused me of criminal trespass. They said I stole secret documents. The magistrate does not know the details, because they did not include in the charge that I am a journalist. I was not allowed to contact my lawyers.
“They also did not allow me to call anyone until the magistrate ordered them to let me make one call. I am currently using the registrar’s phone to make this call and they are collecting it.”
The magistrate was said to have given an order that he be detained for five more days.
The police have been under pressure to release the journalist from Nigerians, human rights organisations and the Nigerian Union of Journalists.
