Leadership journalists rearrested

Deputy Force PRO, Frank Mba

Two journalists with the Leadership newspapers, Mr. Tony Amokeodo and Chibuzo Ukaibe, were on Monday rearrested and detained by the police at the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad detention facility in Abuja.

Amokeodo and Ukaibe had reported to the police around 11am as part of their bail conditions when they were taken to SARS and their GSM phones seized.

A source said the two men were being held incommunicado by the police for refusing to declare the source of the story published by their newspaper a few weeks ago.

Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said he was not aware of the detention of the journalists, saying he was attending a programme in Uyo.

Amokeodo, who is the Group News Editor of LEADERSHIP Newspapers, was detained alongside Ukaibe for 24 hours last week Tuesday  following a story their newspaper published on a “presidential directive” to attack key opposition political parties’ leaders.

They were released on bail and asked to report at the Force Headquarters daily for further investigation, as part of their bail conditions.

The journalists had however filed a suit against the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, claiming the sum of N10m for breach of trust.

PUNCH