Lagos-based Journalist, Adeyemi Bamidele On The Run Over Investigative Report On Ogun Governor
Freedom and security of the press in Nigeria still trembling, it’s sad that practising investigative journalism in the country is like putting your life on the line for the profession.
A Lagos-based journalist Adeyemi Bamidele has been on the run for his life since one of his colleagues, Olamilekan Hammed, was arrested and detained for several weeks by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly publishing a story on Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun.
Reports on social media lately indicated that Bamidele has been asked to submit himself to the DSS office in Lagos for interrogation on the alleged published story on Abiodun.
On March 23rd, 2022, the blogger reportedly published a report on Gov. Abiodun’s alleged criminal records in the United States. The report on the blogger’s website {www.conquestmagazine.com} titled – Facts, Details Of How Ogun Governor, Dapo Abiodun Was Jailed For Theft, Fraud In Florida, USA.
A release signed by Seun Faleye, the General Secretary of Society of Digital Newspaper Owners of Nigeria {SDNON}, a Nigerian media association confirmed the report of the arrest threat that one of its members has been declared wanted by the security agency, “my colleague, Bamidele has been on the run since the news broke out. some weeks ago; in connection to this same fraud story on Gov. Dapo Abiodun, a blogger, Olamilekan Hammed has been in custody after he honoured an invitation by the Ogun State Command of DSS. “I want to believe, this mistake is what Bamidele does not want to make; by turning himself in for security agents, without having any means to assert his civic and professional right, most especially, in a country where a credible and genuine story like this is a direct ticket to heaven for journalists”.
He accused the governor of orchestrating journalists’ arrest over the story he pointed out to be true, adding that the governor has every right to challenge the publication in a civil lawsuit instead of using DSS to harass journalists.
In his response to the allegation, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Kunle Somorin, told Society Gist that: “It’s not true that the governor is behind the arrest threat on Adeyemi Bamidele, a Lagos-based blogger.”
Somorin added the governor should be counted out of the matter, saying, “It’s a security matter. It is only the police or DSS that can answer questions on any of these.”
