Nigerian
police late on Thursday arrested the editor and a reporter for the
Premium Times, the rights group Amnesty International said, in a dispute
raising concern about press freedom in Africa's biggest democracy. The
two were released later that evening without being charged.
"What
we see is a disturbing trend that suggests not just an attempt to
criminalize the important work that journalists in Nigeria do, but also a
drive to frighten and cower and stop this critical constitutionally
mandated work through the aggressive use of the state security
apparatus," said a joint letter to Buhari signed by 10 Nigerian public
figures.
The
letter called on the president to instruct security services to stop
harassing and arresting journalists and insist that police follow the
law in arresting and charging suspects "in a timely and transparent
manner".
The
Premium Times has angered the military with articles saying dozens of
soldiers were missing and the chief of staff was facing an investigation
over false asset declaration. The armed forces have accused the paper
of libel and defamation, charges the publication denied.
The
detainment of editor Dapo Olorunyomi and judicial correspondent Evelyn
Okakwu have raised concerns about freedom of the press and the power of
the military in Nigeria.
The
army said in a statement on Thursday it had begun legal action against
the Premium Times over its "failure to retract and apologize over false,
subversive and malicious publications against the person of the Chief
of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai and the Nigerian Army".
The
articles included stories about soldiers missing in Nigeria's northeast
after clashes with Islamic insurgent group Boko Haram.
In
a statement, the news publication said the arrest of its editor and
correspondent had been made "based on a petition" by the chief of army
staff.
"We
call on the federal government to rein in the police and assure
Nigerians that we are not living in a military dictatorship," the
statement said.
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