The State Security Service has reportedly arrested another United States-based Nigerian, Mr. Emeka Asiwe.

Online news medium, saharareporters.com, reports that Asiwe, who runs www.huhuonline.com, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos as he arrived the country for a burial. According to family members, shortly after his arrest, Asiwe was reportedly flown to the SSS headquarters, Abuja and detained. He has not been allowed access to lawyers or family members.

The arrest of the publisher of Huhuonline.com comes on the heels of the weeklong detention of another US-based journalist, Jonathan Elendu, of elendureports.com. Elendu was released on Wednesday by the SSS after they had failed to sustain charges of sedition against the Michigan-based blogger but the SSS has held on to his international passports and have threatened to re-arrest him if he continues to publish “subversive” reports against President Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200811012485389

which kin wahala be this self, This thing is getting too much

This is a seriously ominous new development that bodes ill for any democracy.

I some how support the FG in this issue, it is high time people start thinking and verifying before they write things up. Well anyway people will be against the government because they are not seeing the roots of all these misunderstanding between the government and the writers.

No sane or responsible government locks people up because of anything they might have written. Haba! I agree with those who say anybody in Nigeria aspiring to public office must undertake and PASS psychiatric evaluation. We have sociopaths,pyschopaths,paranoid asses and kleptomaniacs in government,and there's nothing in place to curb their excesses.
They've turned the concept of government upside down and now it's no longer recognisable. There are some in posh public offices who can't even spell the word. Yeye people.
E bami kigbe ole o!Ole Ole Ole Ole Ole!

.

This is shocking !!
I can't believe that we are really in a democracy.
What government arrests citizens for no just cause? This is ridiculous!!!

If we are now stopped on arrival at the airport in our own country just because we wrote articles on our blog, simply to highlighten our fellow country men of the wrong doings of our leaders, it is not supposed to mean any misharp.

It is only intended for the people concerned to take positive measures and correct what have been criticized of their acts.

I am so disappointed of this country. A government that does not accept criticism is nothing but an anarchy.

wetin concern nigeria and freedom of speech. what do you expect when an orisa legislative is threatening festus keyamo. crazy country

Absolutely ridiculous!!!

This is ridiculous

useless country and useless leaders who know nothing but dictatorship. i swear the day we pull out of that ridiculous entity will be my happiest day. even it doesn't happen in my lifetime i will dancing in my grave when the next generation achieves it.

Unbelievable!! So what now? Those outside should be sure they are not being monitored by SSS in their own country? Na wa o!! and I thought the FBI/IRS, and the weird old dude down the street were the only people I needed to worry about ,  roflmao!!!

This development ought to give ALL contributors to Nigerian-themed internet discussion boards such as this one SERIOUS cause for concern.  One needs look no further than the regular roundup and incarceration of internet authors in China to know just how scary this scenario can become. Prior to this airport arrest of a US-based Nigerian internet author, no previous Nigerian government has historically ever resorted to prowling the internet in search of dissidents to intercept and silence.

If a Nigerian based outside the country can be arrested by the Gestapo on arrival at Lagos Airport, and then charged for words written on the net that were DEEMED unacceptable by the powers that be inside Nigeria, then without doubt all internet forum contributors resident within Nigeria should now regard themselves as having been reduced to the status of hapless chickens in a row of poultry cages, whose GPS coordinates, accurate to within 5 feet,  can be forcibly obtained from the webmaster at any moment, preparatory to a surprise arrest and violent feather-plucking by that same Gestapo.

Gestapo!!! roflmao!!! _{brings back memories of the show 'allo allo'}

well . . . I am kind of not shocked. It was bound to come to this at some point. With arms behind our backs, we have allowed the situation to get to this point.

You are all goats. If someone is picked up for questioning to aid an investigation, you all start blabbing and saying he has been arrested. Hey fools, there is a difference between someone invited for questioning to aid an investigation and someone arrested for committing a crime.

dont you all get it? Ha!

lepashandi:

You are all goats. If someone is picked up for questioning to aid an investigation, you all start blabbing and saying he has been arrested. Hey fools, there is a difference between someone invited for questioning to aid an investigation and someone arrested for committing a crime.

don't you all get it? Ha!

Dude shut that shit up. Why should any journalist get picked up in the 1st place? Look at this nama trying to act like he or she have never heard of Nigerian journalist getting brutalized and intimidated by the government. Ewu.

lepashandi:

You are all goats. If someone is picked up for questioning to aid an investigation, you all start blabbing and saying he has been arrested. Hey fools, there is a difference between someone invited for questioning to aid an investigation and someone arrested for committing a crime.

don't you all get it? Ha!

you are a bloody oxymoron

you coming to rant and vent anger just because you have been denied access to pus*sy is unnecessary

you need to use your head next time or go to an abbatoir to have it chopped off if it is useless, you troublemaker

i bet children old enough to be ur kids know the government is just intimidating and harrasing people for exposing their shenanigans

lepashandi:

You are all goats. If someone is picked up for questioning to aid an investigation, you all start blabbing and saying he has been arrested. Hey fools, there is a difference between someone invited for questioning to aid an investigation and someone arrested for committing a crime.

don't you all get it? Ha!

It is either you ignorant or in denial.

Nigerian Law states that nobody must be held without his wishes with 48hours without being charge to court.

Means:

1. If they pick you up for questioning you must be left alone after 48hours or be charged to court.

2. If they arrest you, you must be left alone after 48hours or be charged to court.

3. if ANYONE(father, Boyfriend, girlfriend, armed robber, kidnapper etc) hold you for more than 48hours, they have also breach this LAW.

It is meant to safe guard citizen from EVIL people like yaradua.

But alas, nobody is SHOUTING. NO RIOTS on the street.

It is 'online journalists' now: IT COULD BE YOU TOMORROW.

lepashandi:

You are all goats. If someone is picked up for questioning to aid an investigation, you all start blabbing and saying he has been arrested. Hey fools, there is a difference between someone invited for questioning to aid an investigation and someone arrested for committing a crime.

don't you all get it? Ha!

In response to your post, look at all the adjectives that has been used to qualify you.

udezue:

Look at this [size=16pt]nama[/size]

udezue:

Ewu.

O! and this means goat in Igbo.

MrCrackles:

you are a[b] [size=16pt]bloody oxymoron[/size][/b]

MrCrackles:

you troublemaker

landis:

It is either you [size=16pt]ignorant[/size] or in denial.

WOW!!

@tpia

After spending months with tutors memorising the word and taking and failing exams on how to spell it,our government bandies the word about to fool us into thinking they have some idea of how to run a country. At least China doesn't simper and act coy,and pretend to be a democracy.

i am a big fan of elendu .I love his articles and i really appreciate the way he reports, more facts than fiction.Anyways, I was not really shocked when I heard the news about his arrest. The SSS have been looking for this dude for a long time.They finally got the chance.The questions is, what and why was he detained? Elend promises to give full details of this experience with the SSS- on his website, cant wait !!!

I think this government is just chasing shadows
The tenure of Obasanjo was fraught with war with journalists
but none was arrested except for the case of AIT's Gbenga Aruleba and Independents Durojaiye
If the government of Umaru Yar'adua will now resort to arresting the journalists for critising him,
Then we are in for a terrible time ahead. Rather than address the issues being raised, he is accosting those raising the issues

He may not be able to stand it if he decides to fight journalists and their likes
He should ask his Media person Segun Adeniyi. . . . .He should know better.

@post
    Let thousands/millions of online reporters rise and start doing the JOB and lets see how many our weak SSS can track with their weak technology, i think i will start mine soon, but i swear there will be no trace to me!!

   BLOG TO BE LAUNCHED NEXT WEEK!!

There is No justification for the incessant arrests,that has plagued the Country in recent times.We all thought the Channels T.v arrest episode was an '' applauable mistake '' Only for the decorated madness to continue( yes,decorated madness).Where has the freedom of speech gone too ? If the Government feels threatened by actions of any media authority,such grievances should be channeled through the appropriate vices i.e Redress through Law, '' The cat and mouse game '' should stop,waiting for journalists at Nigerian territorial borders to arrest them,seals the barbaric jungle justice label which the present Government has been despicting ! The World is watching,

NAMA means huasa cow in igbo language,while EWU-HUASA means huasa goat.For some reasons,islamic fundamentalism may be creeping into the system officially,demoislam.

But change is unstoppable.

Well I think our SSS has started a job they would never finish, because they are looking for trouble from Journalists across the globe.
If this happens I wonder how they would save our holier than thou President.

Why am I not suprised?
Remember this administration has been on the defensive right from day one.

We can all swear(to the last man) that Yaradua's mandate is not genuine, and we never let him forget it either

We can all swear too that he's a lackey of U know who, and he knows that we know.

Then there's the issue of his health, half comatose most of the time, which we never let him forget also

Then there's the issue of the economy, speeding along like a snail, no thanks to a lot of empty heads in high offices

There's also the Niger Delta issue, monumental corruption in high places, ineffectual probes, etc,etc

No wonder the guy has his back up against the wall. But rather than accept the message, he's busy shooting the messenger.

Its only an administration that is totally bereft of ideas that would resort to shadow chasing and strong arm tactics. If they feel pained about what was written, the law is there, let them use it defend their honour.

Arresting journalists(or inviting them for a discussion as someone said) will do nothing but generate a lot of bad blood and heat up the polity unnecessarily.
Let Yaradua call his dogs to order.

Why am I not surprised?
Yar'Adua has shown that he can be a dictator sometimes
Channels TV experience is still fresh

This is capital RUBBISH and nonsense. I think there is freedom of speech. If the government do not like this (posting their activities online) then they should start correcting their mistake not by arresting people as if they are arresting fowl.

this is an outrage. But if enough people make a fuss, maybe they'll release him quickly and unharmed. Troublemaker or not, he should be the least of their problems.

I can't believe that this half-alive president has enough liver to terrorise journalists to this extent.

I just pity him, because the more trouble he invites to himself the shorter his half-life.

I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT. SSS SHOULD COME AND ARREST ME.

Why do we never get reasonable Nigerians who will start protesting against these ills? Because many of us have the same kind of attitude as long as we are being settled. That country is in serious trouble; headed for the abyss