A journalist with the OrderPaper, Edna Ulaeto, has been arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) following her recent report of an impeachment move against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
A statement by the management of the firm revealed that Ulaeto was apprehended during a raid on her home on Friday.
On the said day.
Ulaeto was in her residence going about her daily life.
Suddenly, without pre-notice, a group of armed men stormed the apartment.
They identified themselves as DSS officers from the Office of the National Security Adviser, the statement by the news organisation confirmed.
The Raid
Before anyone could know what was going on, the officers began mistreating Ulaeto while she was still in her nightwear and forced her to an undisclosed location.
“The young lady, still dressed in her casual nightwear, was violently manhandled and forcibly taken away to an unknown destination, leaving her family and neighbors in shock and fear,” the statement said.
OrderPaper also claimed that Ms. Ulaeto’s phone number had been unlawfully tracked.
Although the DSS is yet to speak on the arrest, Nigerians do not need a soothsayer to tell them that her arrest is linked to her recent article.
The Article
In that article, she had reported a DSS operation at the National Assembly, allegedly aimed at preventing the removal of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The newspaper had retracted the story and issued a public apology.
However, masked officers who identified as DSS broke into Ms. Ulaeto’s home.
They searched through her personal belongings, and caused significant distress to her family.
Also Read: Akpabio Under Fire After ‘Free Food’ Advise To Nigerians
The statement added that neighbors who attempted to intervene or document the event were reportedly pushed aside, with some being forced to delete their photos and videos under threat of arrest.
Safety
Attempts to reach Ms. Ulaeto following her arrest were unsuccessful, increasing fears for her safety.
“This brazen, terrifying act has left the entire staff of OrderPaper living in fear, uncertain about what could happen next,” the statement continued.
The organization called on civil society and the international community to demand Ms. Ulaeto’s immediate release and to condemn the action as an attack on press freedom and human rights.
