The assault on the media by Federal Government agents continued yesterday.
Soldiers kept vigil at newspaper distribution centres, while waiting to arrest The Nation’s sales representatives.
Attack on vendors also continued; many of them were beaten up in Lagos. Those who displayed The Nation were the target.
The newspaper’s Sales Manager Mr Olaribigbe Bello said: “We got reports from some vendors in Lagos that soldiers attacked them and seized copies of The Nation in their possession.
“It was more pronounced in Ikotun area of Lagos. On Sunday, it was at the Abule Egba area that they attacked vendors who displayed The Nation and seized all the copies they had.
“We also got reports that soldiers were at newspaper distribution centres in various parts of the country searching for our sales representatives.
“Soldiers were at the centres in Ibadan, Warri and Makurdi. We are still expecting reports from other parts of the country.
“In Ikotun, they not only beat up the vendors, they seized all copies of The Nation in their possession.
“Three of the vendors who had 45 copies between them on display had them all seized by the soldiers,” Bello said.
In Niger State, armed soldiers laid siege to the distribution centres, impounding copies of some newspapers and stopping the distribution of The Nation, Daily Trust and Leadership.
Despite denial by the defence spokesman, Major General Chris Olukolade, that the military found nothing wrong with the editorial content of the affected papers, officers and men of 31 Field Artillery Brigade stopped the three titles from being displayed on the news stands.
On Sunday, a team of armed soldiers impounded copies of The Nation as the Circulation Officer was about to start distributing copies to vendors at the popular “Fleet Street”.
The military men also warned the distributors and vendors in Minna not to sell any of the three newspapers, saying anybody caught would be ruthlessly dealt with.
To put force to their threat, a man who was found with a copy of Leadership that he bought from Suleja was harassed and asked to disclose where he got it from when he was stopped in Minna by some soldiers.
As early as 6:00 am yesterday, parcels of Leadership were impounded at Kilometre 10 military check point in Minna, while another set of armed soldiers stormed the distribution centre at “Fleet Street”, searching for any of the three titles.
The armed men stationed at the distribution centre later left for their barracks at about 11:42 am when they were satisfied that no no newspaper was coming for the day.
Efforts by the Commissioner for Information, Malam Danladi Ndayebo and the Secretary to Niger State Government, Idiris Ndako Kpaki, to get the military to release the impounded newspapers were still in progress at the time of filing the report at about 2:00 pm yesterday.
When contacted on phone, Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Captain Salisu Mustapha, assured our correspondent that he would look into the matter.
He said: “You may have to call back in an hour’s time. I will meet my boss. I know something is being done to normalise the situation.”
Distributors and vendors were apprehensive and were reluctant to sell the newspapers for fear of being harassed or beaten up by soldiers.
Chairman Niger State Newspaper Vendors and Distributors Association, Mr. Festus Elijah confirmed his members’ fears.
“We are ready to sell any paper but you have to help us extract assurance that no member of the association will be harassed by the soldiers.
“We have been warned since Friday and we are powerless, you may say they will not come again and they are here. The sad thing is that it is only Niger State that military are still laying siege.
Thousands of youth in Oke-ogun area of Oyo State, under the aegis of Vanguard For Justice and Good Governance (VAJAG) expressed indignation over the onslaught against The Nation, describing it as “bestial, barbaric and an affront on human rights and democratic governance.”
The group’s spokesman, Mr. Kingsley Alaranse, said: “They (the military) need to be told in unmistakable terms, or better still advised to go back to the school of history, in order to be properly tutored on how not to muffle or gag the media. No one, no matter how powerful, even more than the former Idi-Amin of Uganda, can win the battle against the media because it is the soul of any country and fourth estate of the realm.”
An activist-lawyer, Mr Morakinyo Ogele, threatened to sue the army if it does not explain within seven days why the newspapers are being seized.
He said seizure of newspaper and invasion of distributing centres by the military personnel is not only barbaric, but a pose danger to democratic cultures as well as amount to a breach to section 39 of the 1999 Constitution.
“It is unconstitutional for the military to impound and disrupt the distribution of a newspaper, thus denying people from receiving information as stipulated by Constitution.
“The most worrisome of this unconstitutional act is that the Federal Government has not condemned the illegal act of the military, which suggests they are acting on the script of the government.
“The military authority should come out and inform whether journalists or editors are a security risk to justify their action.
“In a descent society where rule of law is in full operation, soldiers are only to defend citizens and not to breach the Constitution. Our army should learn how to respect people’s opinion as stop harassing the media.
“The Nigerian Army is hereby put on notice to explain within seven days why they are impounding newspapers; otherwise I will initiate court action against military authorities at the law court,” Ogele said.
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