On Monday, April 15, 2013, the Nigerian Police re-arrested and detained two Leadership newspaper journalists, Mr. Tony Amokeodo, the Group News Editor and Mr. Chibuzo Ukaibe, a political reporter.
The journalists were taken to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) headquarters detention facility in Abuja where they are currently being held.
Mr. Amokeodo and Mr. Ukaibe, accompanied by their lawyer, had reported to the Louis Edet House Police Force headquarters at about 11.00am, in compliance with part of the conditions of the bail granted them from their earlier arrest, when they were arrested and taken to SARS where they had their mobile phones seized.
The bail conditions was over a previous detention of the journalists on April 8, 2013 over a story in the Leadership newspaper titled “Outrage Trail Presidential Directive on Tinubu, APC”, which was published on April 3, 2013 and a full copy of the presidential directive, published on April 4 and captioned “Bromide of the Presidential Directive”.
The journalists tried to find out from those holding them why they were being rearrested and detained but the officers assigned to them refused to comment. There are reports, however, that the police may charge the journalists to court today, April 16, 2013. But no official reason has yet been given for the re-arrest of the journalists by the Police.
