DSS Bows To Pressure, Releases Independent Editor, Ezimakor

The Department of State Service (DSS ) has released Abuja bureau chief of Daily Independent newspaper, Tony Ezimakor, after seven days in detention.

Different groups had called for his release, since he was detained by the secret police last Wednesday.

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Ezimakor was invited by the DSS last week over a story detailing a Swiss agent in ransom payment for the released Chibok girls by the Federal Government and how government officials were allegedly profiteering from it, has remained detained for seven days now.

He had honoured the invitation and was detained alongside a photographer of the newspaper, Mr. Jide Oyekunle, who was later released after over six hours without any explanation.

A statement by Don Okere, Editor, of the newspaper said Ezimakor, “was invited and detained on Wednesday, February 28, at the DSS headquarters in Abuja at about 10.30am and has been kept under detention since then.

“Upon honouring the invitation on Wednesday, he was shunted from one office to the other and was asked to wait for a particular officer who was said to have been away from his office.”

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According to Okere, “management had made frantic efforts through its lawyer, Mr. Douglas Ekhator, since Wednesday to see the detained Ezimakor but with little result.
The secret police had threatened not to release him until he discloses how he got the information on the story.

INDEPENDENT newspaper had asked DSS to charge the journalist to court but the agency refused.

However, around 10:30pm on Tuesday, the DSS allowed Ezimakor to leave in the company of Douglas Ekhator, his lawyer.

It will be recalled that earlier on Tuesday, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, said the continued detention of Ezimakor reminds him of President Muhammadu Buhari’s military regime in 1984.

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