The Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Global-upfront Newspaper (Online), Madu Onuorah, was taken into custody by operatives of the Nigerian Police Force at approximately 6 pm.
Approximately ten heavily armed policemen arrived at his Lugbe, Abuja residence in two Sienna buses. Mr. Onuorah was arrested in front of his wife and children, who unsuccessfully demanded an explanation from the police for his arrest.
The police confiscated Mr. Onuorah’s phones, cutting off his communication with his family and others. He was not permitted to contact his lawyer or any relatives before being taken to the Lugbe police station by the stern-looking officers.
To prevent Mr. Onuorah from seeking attention or bail, the officers, who were not from the Lugbe Police Station, left him there without any traceable information for his friends and family.
In response to the arrest, the management of Globalupfront Newspapers called for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Madu Onuorah. They emphasized that Onuorah, who has a distinguished career, including roles as the former Abuja Bureau Chief of The Guardian Newspaper and former Managing Director of The AUTHORITY Newspaper, has always operated within the confines of the law.
“Anybody who has any issue against Mr. Onuorah should approach the law court and not turn the Nigerian Police into a Gestapo outfit that bullies a man in the presence of his wife and children,” the newspapers said in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday in Abuja.
“That any second Mr. Onuorah spends in police custody constitutes a serious infringement against his fundamental rights and a continuation of the assault on freedom of expression that has become frequent occurrence in Nigeria recently,” the paper noted.