Reports say the Department of State Services(DSS) has released Chido Onumah, coordinator of African Centre for Media & Information Literacy.
Onumah a journalist, author and activist who was picked at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Sunday was set free later in the evening by his captors. Premium Times where he serves as member of its editorial board confirmed his freedom.
There has been no information regarding why he was arrested in the first place
Earlier on Sunday, his lawyer Mark Obono told a journalist how they had made trips around Europe recently while at the same time confirming his arrest: “We traveled together for a conference in UK. But we didn’t come back together because he went to Spain to finalize his PhD thesis and I went to London but got back last week Sunday.
“He was just returning from the trip today when he was picked at the airport.”
It is not clear why the DSS arrested Onumah who is a known critic of the current administration.
In a statement confirming the arrest, AFRICMIL demanded the immediate release of the journalist.
“AFRICMIL condemns in strong terms the unjustifiable arrest of Mr Onumah and demands his immediate and unconditional release,” it said in the statement issued by Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, its spokesman.
“Waylaying law-abiding citizens should not be turned into the preoccupation of an entire security outfit.
“The arrest of Mr Onumah, coming at the heels of harassment of other critical voices, smacks of grotesque days of the Nigerian history that Mr Onumah and his comrades fought steely against.”
