Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has described freedom of the press as a bedrock of Nigeria’s democracy. Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party made the declaration as he reacted to the invasion and sealing off of the premises of the Daily Trust Newspapers in Maiduguri and Abuja.
” I have received with concern news of the sealing of Daily Trust corporate headquarters in Abuja. Freedom of the press is the bedrock of our democracy and nothing should be done to compromise it.
If Daily Trust as an institution or any of its staff is in breach of the law, I recommend that due process be followed and not a resort to the jackboot”, Abubakar tweeted.
Armed soldiers had stormed the offices of the newspaper in Maiduguri and Abuja to shut down the offices. The regional editor, Uthman Abubakar and a reporter, Ibrahim Sawab were taken away by the soldiers. In Abuja, the soldiers asked staff members at the office to pack their working tools, including laptops and leave the premises.
Checks revealed that the action of the army might be as a result of a story on Sunday’s edition of Daily Trust about the military expedition in the North East.
Thought the Federal Government says the war against terror is on course, reports in the media indicate that the army apart from suffering losses in terms of men and equipment are not having the best in terms of morale.
Videos of soldiers fainting due to hunger as well as videos of some soldiers deserting with claims that they would not fight with obsolete equipment have also surfaced on social media.
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