Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
October 18, 2015 – Deputy Editor of Daily Trust on Sunday, Mr. Danjuma Lawan Adamu, has been arrested by authorities in Niger Republic. He was arrested for alleged inappropriate travel documents.
We gathered that the editor was in Niger for a report on the route used by Nigerian youths to migrate to Europe.
In a statement, Editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Malam Mannir Dan Ali said Danjuma is being detained over allegations of inappropriate travel documents.
Adamu was quoted in the statement as saying “I got necessary travel approvals from the Nigerien consulate in Kano, Nigeria and at every checkpoint; I presented them upon request and was allowed to proceed. I had passed up to 10 checkpoints and was cleared accordingly until I approached Agadez.
“The security alleged that the document authorizing my journey was signed but wasn’t stamped. I have been detained since then and am left wondering how I should be punished for a fault of no mine”, he said.
The statement added that as an experienced cross border reporter, Lawan Danjuma sought and got the relevant documentation from the Kano Consulate office of the Nigerien embassy after stating his mission to Agadez and that It was the same documentation that he used at different check points including the Nigeria/Niger border post at Kongolom, Katsina state and was only stopped and arrested on reaching Agadez,”.
The newspaper is calling for immediate release of Danjuma.
“We see the arrest as an infringement of his right as an ECOWAS citizen and have since reached the Nigerien authorities to ask for the release of the reporter. We are shocked that more than 24 hours after the arrest, he still is being held and his freedom is being curtailed”, the management said.
