At about 1:00 am on May 9, 2020, Mr.Mienpamo Saint, a news blogger and owner of Naijalivetv.com, was abducted at his home inKpansia, a suburb ofYenagoa, Bayelsa State by masked gunmen. The abductors took him away to an unknown destination, after seizing his phones and those of his relatives.
The incident generated uproar among journalists especially social media practitioners, who condemned the development and called for his unconstitutional release.
Describing the incident as outrageous, a media rights activist and Convener of Yenagoa Media Forum (YMF), AgideeTheophilus, said: “This is another, in a series of calamitous events that have befallen men and women of the besieged fourth estate of the realm in the state.
“The Yenagoa Media Forum joins other members of the pen fraternity to condemn the abduction of the media practitioner who in recent times has published scathing reports about key political actors in the Bayelsa State government.
“While the painful memory of the unresolved murder of Famous Giobaro is still fresh in our minds, we urged the Bayelsa State Police Command to do everything within its powers to resolve the matter within the shortest possible time.
“Our work as journalists in the state is almost a thankless job while dissenting voices are treated as pariahs. For those who have instigated this shameful act, let’s be reminded of the very insightful statement by the late US, President John F. Kennedy on freedom of the press”.
