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IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ALERT - NIGERIA

16 January 2004

Reporter asked to reveal source during interrogation

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

**MISA and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), as a joint activity,
will henceforth issue alerts, statements and appeals to highlight media
freedom and wider human rights violations in West Africa. See www.misa.org
and www.mediafoundationwa.org for more information**

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is a joint MISA-MFWA alert:

On 12 January 2004, Nigerian State Security Service (SSS) officers
interrogated Tony Eluemunor, the "Daily Independent" newspaper's Abuja
bureau chief, in connection with the newspaper's 8 January lead story. The
story alluded to links between the presidency and an alleged plot to unseat
Anambra State Governor Chris Ngige.

On 9 and 10 January, SSS officers made repeated visits to the newspaper's
Abuja offices to inquire as to the whereabouts of Eluemunor. When they were
informed that the reporter was out of town, they left strict orders for him
to report to the director of special operations (DSO) at the SSS
headquarters in Abuja.

According to MFWA sources in Nigeria, Eluemunor returned to Abuja on 12
January and was accompanied by his legal counsel to the SSS headquarters at
about 3:00 p.m. (local time).

After filling in some forms and waiting, an argument developed when the
security officers insisted that nobody, not even his lawyer, could accompany
Eluemunor during his interrogation. As a result, Eluemunor was escorted
unaccompanied to another office where his interrogators insisted that he
disclose his information source. Eluemunor, however, stoically protested
that his profession's ethics obliged him to protect his sources. He was
finally allowed to go home at 5:00 p.m., with instructions to return to the
SSS headquarters at 1:00 p.m. the following day.

For further information, contact Zoe Titus, Program Coordinator, Media
Freedom Monitoring, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street, Mailing
Address; Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232 975, fax:
+264 61 248 016, e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.misa.org,
or Kwame Karikari, Executive Director, Media Foundation for West Africa, P.
O. Box LG 730, Legon, Ghana, tel: +233 21 24 24 70, fax: +233 21 22 10 84,
e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.mediafoundationwa.org

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of MISA.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit MISA.
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