After 12 days in captivity, Segun Olatunji, the Editor of FirstNews Online Newspaper, has finally regained his freedom.
The incident took place on March 15 when a group of gunmen stormed Olatunji’s residence in the Iyana Odo area of Abule Egba, Lagos, and took him away.
According to the management of FirstNews, the abduction was linked to a particular story published by the newspaper.
Concerns arose regarding Olatunji’s whereabouts, and the International Press Institute, IPI Nigeria, disclosed that the editor was in the custody of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), a unit overseen by Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, who answers to General Chris Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff.
Following this revelation by the IPI, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, informed a group of editors that the military had confirmed Olatunji’s detention.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the IPI urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to instruct the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to release Olatunji.
On Thursday morning, Olatunji was handed over to the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), as confirmed by a message from the Guild’s Secretary, Dr. Iyobosa Uwugiaren.