The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has denied reports that its operatives raided the the head office of Peoples Gazette, an online newspaper located in the Utako area of Abuja, arresting one of its editors and four other journalists.
Spokesperson of the Command, DSP Josephine Adeh, claimed that journalists and staff members of the newspaper were only invited for questioning over a petition written against them.
Peoples Gazette on Friday reported that police operatives raided its head office located in the Utako area of Abuja, arresting one of its editors and four other journalists.
The Newspaper reported that John Adenekan, its assistant managing editor, was taken away around 12:35 p.m. by five armed police officers who broke into the office.
Adenekan was allegedly arrested over a report detailing how anti-graft ICPC raided a property belonging to chief of army staff Tukur Buratai and recovered cash and luxury items published June 23.
The police officers, according to the online media, were looking for its managing editor Samuel Ogundipe and reporter Adefemola Akintade, but in their absence, arrested the assistant editor and four other staff including Ameedat Adeyemi, Grace Oke, Sammy Ogbu, and Justina Tayani.
Adenekan said he was taken to the Utako police division following the raid.
But reacting to the report, DSP Adeh, claimed that journalists and staff members of the newspaper were only invited for questioning following a complaint by a former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Nigeria Ambassador to Benin Republic, Tukur Buratai.
DSP Adeh said that Buratai wrote to the police alleging defamation of character by the paper in the June 23 report.
“There was a written complaint against them of defamation of character by General Buratai.
““Our officers did not raid any media house. We don’t raid media houses because we know better, and media houses are not criminal hideouts.
“Someone had written a petition accusing the newspaper of defamation of character. The newspaper was accused of defaming the character of the former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai. However, we got a warrant from the court to invite them for questioning.
“So, the fact of the matter is that there was a petition against Peoples Gazette, and they are not above the law. So, if someone had written a petition against them, the right thing to do is to invite them, and that was what we did. We invited them for further investigation, and we carried the Nigerian Union of Journalists along on this matter. We’re not taking any action behind the NUJ, and there is also a warrant from the court to invite Peoples Gazette for questioning.
“We have no malicious intent for inviting them. Our officers went to Peoples Gazette office this morning to invite them to come to give a statement in response to the petition at the Utako police station. And as I speak to you, the NUJ Secretary is with thl
