Police Teargas Sowore And Other Protesters Over Detained Premium Times Journalist, Samuel Ogundipe

Police Clash With Protesters In Abuja

Nigerian presidential aspirant, Omoyele Sowore and members of Civil Society Organisations Movement, OurMumuDonDo Movement have been teargassed by the police stationed at the Nigerian Police  Headquarters during a peaceful protest for the release of a Premium Times Reporter, Samuel Ogundipe, Naija News understands.

The protesters who arrived at the headqaurters of the force in Abuja as early as 9:00am earlier today  protested against the arrest and detention of a journalist Samuel Ogundipe with the hashtag  #FreeSamuelOgundipe.

#FreeSamuelOgundipe #freedomofSpeech Rally https://t.co/0tgXqUlpTg

— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) August 16, 2018

The police who have formed a ring at the gate in order to prevent the protesters from gaining entry into the building suddenly sprayed a liquid substance suspected to be teargas causing commotion at the scene as many of them scurried for safety. Some of the protesters who inhaled the teargas became unconscious.

Free Samuel! https://t.co/m2WmRM9UM3

— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) August 16, 2018

The Force Public  Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood said that the journalist is not being persecuted but if there is an allegation, they (police) have the right to investigate.

” Even though we have the Freedom of Information Act ( FOI )  , the act itself is restricted to some classified documents and that is what we are investigating . The document in question does not fall under the FOI act therefore we are not asking him about the source of the information but the source of the document”

The PRO could not justify the secret arraignment of the journalist and failure to allow him access to his lawyer. The protesters have vowed to continue with the protest saying that they cannot be intimidated by the police brutality.