Detained staff of Channels Television have been released by the State Security Service (SSS), after Tuesday's invasion of the station's offices, and the arrest of five senior officials both in Lagos, Nigeria's south west region and in Abuja, the nation's capital.

The General Manager, Mr. Steve Judo and the Controller News, Mr. Ambrose Okoh, arrested at the station’s headquarters in Lagos, were released on the evening of Friday after being detained for about 78 hours.

The Abuja station manager, Mr. Sola Olaiya and news editor Bashir Adigun, were released on Thursday evening, while our Channels Television correspondent at the Presidential Villa, Chukwuma Onuekusi, had been let off earlier on Wednesday.


Though the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) this evening, announced the lifting of the ban slammed on the station, a day after the SSS shut down operations both in Lagos and Abuja, the office premises are yet to be vacated by the security operatives, who have so far prevented members of staff from going into the buildings, though permiting other companies at the Kresta Laurel Complex in Lagos, access after thorough security checks.

Tuesday’s clamp down on Channels Television by men of the State Security Service, is the first occurrence in the station’s 15 years of existence, following a news flash on a controversial story on the President’s purported resignation on health grounds.

The news was sourced and attributed to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), a government owned media agency, to which the station subscribes, and was also received from a French international wire service, the Agency France Press (AFP).

About 10 minutes later, while monitoring the Reuters News Agency, Channels Television saw a refutal of the resignation story by the President’s spokesman, Mr. Segun Adeniyi, and had immediately broadcast this.

NAN, notified the station about the false claim soon after, explaining that hackers might have broken into their e-mail account to send the erroneous report to targeted news organizations, which the station reported in its subsequent news bulletins until the time of closure.


Press Statement: For Immediate ReleaseIAP: Lift Suspension of Channels TVLagos, Monday, 22 September, 2008: Independent Advocacy Project, IAP,Nigeria’s leading governance group has called on the federal government toimmediately direct operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) tovacate the premises of the independent Channels TV and make a publiccommitment to restrain its agents from further clamping down on the media.Security agents closed the Lagos and Abuja offices of Channels last weekafter the station aired a hoax report that President Umaru Yar'Adua mightresign for health reasons. Security agents detained General Manager SteveJudo, News ControllerAmbrose Okoh, Abuja Bureau Chief Bashiru Adigun and Abuja Station ManagerShola Olaiya, according to Channels Chairman John Momoh, who apologised toYar'Adua the day after the report was aired. Momoh expressed ‘deep regret’for broadcasting the phoney report.The hoax story which was sent electronically to some media houses wascredited to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the nation’s official agency.NAN swiftly denied the story, saying: ‘We believe that it is a mischiefmaker at work.’Equally swiftly however, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)suspended Channels’ license, accusing the station of violating theNational Broadcasting Commission Act. ‘While NBC has released Channels’licence, the decision to suspend the licence of Channels in the firstplace is in itself a violation of the Broadcasting Code as the Codespecifies that broadcasting stations must be given prior notice and ahearing prior to such suspensions,’ says IAP spokesperson Gbenga Ogundare.IAP is particularly concerned about the Yar’adua regime’s clampdown onjournalists. Apart from the Channels incident, there have been recentcases involving the National Standard magazine and reporters AbimbolaOgunnaike and Wale Ajayi of the Nigerian Compass and Nigerian Tribunerespectively.

=ends=Media Enquiries:

Gbenga Ogundaregogundare@ind-advocacy-project.org
234- (0)8036697277
--
Independent Advocacy Project (IAP)Tel: 234-1-4977101, 2341 7915198, 08036697277
Fax: 2341 7915198
Office address: 2nd Floor, 17/19, Allen Avenue, Oshopey Plaza, Ikeja, Lagos
Email:info@ind-advocacy-project.org
http://www.ind-advocacy-project.org




News Sources: http://www.saharareporters.com/www/news/detail/?id=730