Niger State Government, DSS Stop Malicious Lies, Release Fejiro Oliver Now
Category: Nigerian National News
Outside of Nigeria, Charles King Moreland jr, a poet and journalist, and Jill Stacey Moreland a journalist and social critic are largely known by their pen names; Askia Muhammed and Itabari Njeri, respectively. So what is the cacophony about?
A stitch in time saves nine.
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We
have watched, read and followed with serious concern the lies being
sent out to the media and the public by officials of the Niger State
Government and Niger State Command of the Directorate of State Security
Services (DSS) regarding the illegal arrest and detention of Mr. Fejiro
Oliver, a journalist and activist, in a desperate attempt to justify
their brutal violation of his fundamental human rights and deceive
credulous members of the public.
We therefore deem it most expedient to issue this press statement to
enable the unsuspecting members of the public situate the issues and
facts properly. Several Media platforms have reported and aired the
comical display that took place on Monday 22 September, 2014 at the DSS
Office in Minna, Niger State, where Fejiro was 'paraded' like a common
criminal before the media by the Director of DSS in the state, Mr. Larry
Obiagwu for allegedly "blackmailing and attempting to extort the sum og
N50 million naira from the Niger State Government".
Before going into the kernel of this unsubstantiated and frivolous
allegation leveled against Mr. Fejiro for daring to demand
accountability from the Niger State Government, we wish to clarify and
state the following facts which the DSS and the Niger State Government
are trying to twist and exploit negatively.
Firstly, we agree that Fejiro Oliver is a pseudonym (pen name). His
native name is Tega Sampson Oghendoro. We have consulted many
authoritative legal sources and the irresistible conclusion is that
there is no provision under any legislative enactment criminalizing the
use of pseudonyms for lawful purposes in Nigeria. We challenge his
accusers to negate this conclusion.
The practice of writers and journalists using pen names (pseudonym)
instead of their native names is well rooted in history, both in Nigeria
and abroad. In this wise, few examples will suffice. The Late Chief
Idowu Odunewu, a former Editor-In-Chief of Daily Times and Managing
Director Director of Nigerian Tribune, used the pseudonym (pen
name)-'Allah De' for the greater part of his practice as a celebrated
journalist. Also, Chief Tola Adeniyi, a former Managing Director of
Daily Times operates with a pen name-'Abba Saheed'.
Outside of Nigeria, Charles King Moreland jr, a poet and journalist, and Jill Stacey Moreland a journalist and social critic are largely known by their pen names; Askia Muhammed and Itabari Njeri, respectively. So what is the cacophony about?
The DSS accused Fejiro Oliver of blackmailing government officials
and corporate bodies but they failed to supply any modicum of evidence
to support it.
Secondly, the DSS is trying to make a mountain out of the fact that
Fejiro Oliver (Tega Sampson Oghenedoro) is a staff of the Nigerian
Television Authority (NTA). Whether it is proper or not for him to
engage in his online media activities with Secrets Reporters,
Elombah.com or Daily Voice NG despite working for the NTA is not in the
mouth of the Niger State Government and the DSS to say. It is not and
should never be their business. There is absolutely no crime in this.
Fejiro Oliver to our knowledge, was already planning his official
exit from the NTA which he has been serving meritoriously. He never
represented himself to the Secretary to the Niger State Government,
Alhaji Saidu Idris Ndajo Kpaki and the Chief Press Secretary to Governor
Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, Mr. Israel A. Ebije, as a staff of the NTA. He
never represented to them that his investigations into the activities of
the Niger State Government was in pursuit of his job as a staff of the
NTA. So when did his being a staff of the NTA became an issue to the DSS
and the Niger State Government to warrant this shameless display of raw
power?
Thirdly, we wish to let Nigerians know that the Fejiro Oliver that
the DSS is trying to portray is totally different from the Fejiro Oliver
that we know. The Fejiro Oliver that we know is a well educated
professional, he is a father, his wife is a professional while the
father is a well to do engineer. He comes from a disciplined Christian
family and has never been reported to had engaged in any criminal
activity. His only misfortune is his strong passion and determination
for a sane, corrupt free and democratic Nigeria where leaders are
accountable. This is the very driving force of his online media
activities.
On the allegation that Fejiro "blackmailed" and "attempted to extort
N50 million naira from the Niger State Government to kill a story", we
are appalled at the level of degeneration of the Nigerian political
class and the condescending posture of the DSS. This allegation on the
face of it is mendacious and utterly frivolous. While we are not God to
know the inner mind of Fejiro Oliver, we dare say that at no time did
Fejiro demand for such huge sum of money or any sum at all from the SSG
of Niger State or the Chief Press Secretary to governor Babangida Aliyu
who are the two officials he has had communications with after his
investigations.
The decision to meet with SSG of Niger State in Abuja, though seen by
some as improper, was made by Fejiro after persistent pressures and
assurances of his safety by the SSG who had suggested Minna for their
meeting but which Fejiro rejected, preferring Abuja for security
reasons.
The SSG offered to pay for his air fares and asked him to send his
account details since the meeting was at his instance but Fejiro being
who he is rejected the monetary offer. He later gave the SSG the
allowance to book his flight which he did through one of his aides.
Nigerians should ask the SSG whether this is true or false. He should
tell us who booked and paid for Aero flight; Asaba to Abuja of Friday
19/09/ 2014 and Abuja to Asaba of Monday 22/09/2014 with booking
reference-7F9CS1 and who owns the email address
'saidunidris@yahoo.co.uk' with which the flight details was sent to
Fejiro?
Contrary to the reports that he went to collect money from the SSG,
the truth is that Fejiro's sole purpose was to interview the SSG based
on the outcome of his extensive investigations and discoveries which are
backed by authentic documents. The Niger State Government is not
denying this fact. They have even said they know the person who in their
opinion, leaked those documents and that the said person has been
sacked. One of the main grouses of the Niger State Government is the
refusal by Fejiro to reveal his source despite their pressures, which no
sane journalist should do.
The GSM text messages exchanged and calls made between Fejiro Oliver
and the SSG and the CPS to the governor can be obtained from service
providers. Some of the said text messages are already in the public
domain by his accusers for the whole world to see.
Fejiro never intended to meet the SSG alone in Abuja, he was to do so
in company of two other media colleagues one of who is also an online
media publisher who was to pick him up from the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja, but had lost contacts with Fejiro upon his
arrival, not knowing that he had been handcuffed and whisked away to
Minna. Fejiro never thought of a clandestine venue for their meeting.
The venue he gave the SSG is a well known public place in Maitama,
Abuja.
If actually there was a sting operation by the DSS to nab Fejiro, it
would have ended at the point of collection of the N50M they claim he
demanded with a video record duly made as was the case with Hon. Farouk
Lawan, not at the airport. It sounds wired to talk of "attempting to
extort" in a so-called sting operation. It just does not make sense at
all. So far, there is no iota of evidence, not even indirectly,
supporting the allegation that Fejiro demanded any money. That he agreed
to meet with the SSG on his plea for him to furnish Fejiro with the
government side of the story does not make him a blackmailer.
Are the above facts which his accusers are aware of but have not
revealed consistent with the allegation that he was going to collect
N50m? Even a primary school pupil will ask what Fejiro, a young
journalist in his late twenties, will be demanding an outrageous FIFTY
MILLION NAIRA for? This is a senseless accusation that can never, never
be proved.
Were Nigeria a sane country where the rule of law reigns, the issue
of a journalist going to meet with the official of a government he has
been critical of for a face to face interview would not have arisen in
the first place. The ongoing persecution of Fejiro Oliver for what
should have been a routine action of an investigative journalist is a
clear indictment on the Nigerian society.
We insist that Fejiro Oliver is innocent of the charges. We insist
that it is the Niger State Government that should be on trial for the
wastages and failures which Fejiro Oliver had uncovered in the course of
his investigations. Fejiro in a GSM phone call on Tuesday 24 September,
2014 has informed us that offers have been made to him on the condition
that he will drop his reports into the activities of the Niger State
Government in exchange for his freedom but that his rejection of same
and refusal to disclose his source is the reason for his continued
incarceration.
We appreciate the efforts of the human rights community, the media,
and all spirited Nigerians who have took it upon themselves to stand by
an innocent activist and journalist whose right is being violated
through the abuse of a critical state institution.
We urge the DSS to focus on the security challenges bedevilling our
nation and not allow a state government that is being haunted by the
ghost of stewardship to derail it core mandate. The DSS should not be
seen as a ready tool that the political class is using for vindictive
aims. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Fejiro
Oliver.
Let it be on record that this brutal violation of the fundamental
rights of Fejiro will not go to unchallenged. Nigeria may be a lawless
country, but it is definitely not a failed state. The oppressors can
only detain Fejiro; they can never detain the truth.
A stitch in time saves nine.
Enough is Enough.
Inibehe Effiong (Mr)
inibehe.effiong@gmail.com
inibehe.effiong@gmail.com
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