DSS Arrests Student Journalist For Publishing Anti-Buhari Articles - Nicole Kaima's Blog

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Sunday, January 26, 2020

DSS Arrests Student Journalist For Publishing Anti-Buhari Articles


Department of State Services has arrested one Ayoola Babalola, who is a campus journalist for allegedly
publishing articles critical of the President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Human rights lawyer, Mr Inibehe Effiong reveals.

In a chat with Sunday PUNCH, Effiong explained that Babalola, a student of Mass Communications at Gateway Polytechnic, Abeokuta, was the editor of a campus newspaper called “GAMPOSA Trumpet”.

The newspaper published an article titled, “President Buhari does not believe in Nigeria” which was written by Apostle Alfred Tseye-Okotie in the 2019 edition of the newspaper in November 2019. It was stated in that article that the Buhari regime did not want Nigeria to be good.

In a second article, it was asserted that the EFCC might not act on the petition it had received as regards to the alleged cash-laden bullion vans seen in Tinubu’s Lagos home on the eve of the 2019 general elections. The title was; “Will EFCC investigate Chief Bola Tinubu?”

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“Sowore, An Equal Opportunity Offender” is the third article written by Femi Adeyeye in October 2019. In the article, the writer wrote glowingly of Omoyele Sowore, the Sahara Reporters Publisher who was at the time being held and detained by the DSS for allegedly planning a revolution against the government.

Here's what Effiong said in a Statement; “Late on Friday, January 24, 2020, I was alerted that my client Mr Ayoola Babalola, a courageous student activist and young journalist, was arrested and charged to court for allegedly publishing certain articles in a Campus Newspaper called GAMPOSA Trumpet in which he served as the editor.

“Babalola recently graduated from the Gateway Polytechnic located in Sapaade, Ogun State, where he read Mass Communications.

“The articles which were deemed critical of President Buhari, APC Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the EFCC also led to the dismissal of a lecturer of Gateway Polytechnic who served as the producer of the campus newspaper.”

Effiong alleged that Babalola was arrested on Thursday in Abeokuta by the DSS and taken before a Magistrate Court on Friday.

“His appeal to the DSS for him to be allowed to contact me as his counsel was rebuffed. Mr Babalola was only able to contact me through a third party from the Ibara Maximum Prison in Abeokua where he was remanded by the court”.

It was stated that Babalola had informed his lawyers of the plans of the DSS to arrest him even before the actual arrest happened. According to Effiong, Babalola was arraigned on six count charges leveraged on alleged incitement, conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace and others for allegedly publishing critical articles against President Buhari.

“I condemn this despotic and needless actions by the SSS. It is a shame that at a time the country is battling serious security challenges, the DSS rather than protect Nigeria, is paranoid about any form of criticism against the Buhari regime.”

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As at Saturday, Peter Afunaya, the Spokesperson for the DSS, neither responded to calls nor text messages.

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