The Department of State Services (DSS) has released two reporters from Jay 101.9 FM, Jos, who were allegedly wrongfully arrested during President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Plateau State on Saturday for the burial of the mother of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe.
A credible security source told journalists that the detained reporters, Ruth Marcus and Keshia Jang, were freed after DSS Director-General Oluwatosin Ajayi became aware of their arrest and ordered their immediate release.
According to the source, the DG personally directed the Service to reach out to the National President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, to ensure the matter was promptly addressed.
“The Director assured the NUJ President that the new DSS leadership treasures the importance of a free press in a democracy, and has ordered a thorough investigation into the matter. He further assured the NUJ President that any officer found culpable will be appropriately sanctioned.
“The new DG is correcting the wrongs he inherited. One of them is overzealousness. This is why the new DG has not failed to admit so whenever the Service makes mistakes. We are witnesses to several instances when the Service apologised and even compensated victims of wrongful arrests.
“The DG is an absolute lover of human rights and press freedom. You may recall that sometime ago, the DSS DG apologised to the management of TVC over the alleged harassment and intimidation of a reporter,” the source said, as reported by Vanguard on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the management of Jay 101.9 FM confirmed the journalists’ release in a statement issued late Saturday.
“Upon confirming that the DSS was holding them, frantic efforts were made to secure their release. Although our efforts were initially rebuffed, they were eventually released,” the management said in the statement signed by its Managing Director, Comrade Clinton Garuba.
Garuba condemned the arrest, describing it as illegal, undemocratic, and a direct assault on press freedom.
“This event has once again prompted us to draw attention to the disturbing issues of press freedom violations, human rights abuses, and the erosion of the rule of law by security agencies,” Garuba said.
He emphasized that the detained journalists were professionals who were simply performing their legitimate duties.
“Our staff were ethically mandated to carry out their duties and document incidents for public record and accountability,” the statement added.
The Jay FM management further urged the DSS to respect press freedom and operate strictly within the bounds of the law, warning against intimidation of journalists.
“We remind the agency that this nation is under civilian rule, not military dictatorship. Security agencies exist to protect citizens, not to intimidate or abduct them.
“To those who wield power, we remind you that the freedom of the press is the lifeblood of democracy. When journalists are silenced, democracy dies in darkness,” the statement concluded.