The police in Abuja have released the two PREMIUM
TIMES journalists that were arrested on Thursday afternoon.
Dapo Olorunyomi, publisher of the newspaper, was
arrested alongside the judiciary correspondent, Evelyn Okakwu, at
around 5:00 p.m.
They were released on bail and instructed to report
at the FCT Police Command Headquarters by 8:00 a.m. Friday morning.
But a highly-placed police source said the
invitation could be a ploy to detain the journalists for an extended period.
The police source said there are chances that the
two could be taken before a Magistrate’s Court.
“From what I
understand, if they report tomorrow morning, they will be taken to a
Magistrate’s Court and arraigned before a judge that will readily comply with
the police arrangement and grant order for them to be detained,” the source
said. “That way, they can then claim to be detaining them legally.”
The development has sparked widespread
condemnation, with the Amnesty International promising to launch
an investigation into the motive behind it.
The journalists were arrested after several
plain-clothed officers raided PREMIUM TIMES office.
The newspaper’s managing
editor, Idris Akinbajo, hailed the “overwhelming” support from Nigerians and
readers around the world.
He said the paper would
release a full statement after the journalists meet the police Friday morning.
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