On October 13, 2020, Mr. Tom Oga Uhia, publisher of “Power Steering Magazine”, was arrested in a Gestapo manner by the men of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, (FCID), Abujaon the orders of the Minister of State for Power, Mr.GoddyAgba whom the publication accused of masterminding the crash of DANA Airline in 2012.
Tom has remained in detention and the leadership of the Abuja Chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has condemned the police for its action describing it as unfortunate and accusing it of abusing its power over the arrest.
In response to the NUJ accusation, the Force Public Relations Officer, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Frank Mba, said Tom was being detained on a remand court order.
A source at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Area 10, Abuja, where the publisher is being detained said he is being tried over alleged “criminal intimidation, blackmail and extortion.”
The Abuja NUJ Chapter in a statement by its Chairman and Secretary, Emmanuel Ogbeche and OchiakaUgwu, advised the minister to seek remedy in court if he believes he had been defamed or suffered libel, rather than resorting to abuse of power and privilege using the police.
They said in the statement: “It is obvious that recent events are not enough lessons to officials in power that there is always a day of reckoning.”
“If the Minister of State, Power, Mr. Godwin JeddyAgba feels strongly that he has suffered libel or defamation, what he ought to do is to seek legal remedy through the courts rather than using the police to arrest and detained Mr. Tom OgaUhia, publisher of Power Steering Magazine for over 72 hours now without being charged to court.”
