We have watched, read and followed
with serious concern the lies being
sent out to the media and the public
by officials of the Niger State
Government and Niger State Command of the
Directorate of State Security Services (DSS)
regarding the illegal arrest and detention of
Mr. Fejiro Oliver, a journalist and activist, in a
desperate attempt to justify their brutal
violation of his fundamental human rights and
deceive credulous members of the public.
Tega Sampson Oghenedoro "Fejiro
Oliver" was accused by Niger state of
official of extortion
We therefore deem it most expedient to issue
this press statement to enable the
unsuspecting members of the public situate
the issues and facts properly. Several Media
platforms have reported and aired the
comical display that took place on Monday 22
September, 2014 at the DSS Office in Minna,
Niger State, where Fejiro was 'paraded' like a
common criminal before the media by the
Director of DSS in the state, Mr. Larry
Obiagwu for allegedly "blackmailing and
attempting to extort the sum og N50 million
naira from the Niger State Government".
Before going into the kernel of this
unsubstantiated and frivolous allegation
leveled against Mr. Fejiro for daring to
demand accountability from the Niger State
Government, we wish to clarify and state the
following facts which the DSS and the Niger
State Government are trying to twist and
exploit negatively.
Firstly, we agree that Fejiro Oliver is a
pseudonym (pen name). His native name is
Tega Sampson Oghendoro. We have consulted
many authoritative legal sources and the
irresistible conclusion is that there is no
provision under any legislative enactment
criminalizing the use of pseudonyms for
lawful purposes in Nigeria. We challenge his
accusers to negate this conclusion.
The practice of writers and journalists using
pen names (pseudonym) instead of their
native names is well rooted in history, both in
Nigeria and abroad. In this wise, few examples
will suffice. The Late Chief Idowu Odunewu, a
former Editor-In-Chief of Daily Times and
Managing Director Director of Nigerian
Tribune, used the pseudonym (pen
name)-'Allah De' for the greater part of his
practice as a celebrated journalist. Also, Chief
Tola Adeniyi, a former Managing Director of
Daily Times operates with a pen name-'Abba
Saheed'.
Outside of Nigeria, Charles King Moreland jr,
a poet and journalist, and Jill Stacey Moreland
a journalist and social critic are largely known
by their pen names; Askia Muhammed and
Itabari Njeri, respectively. So what is the
cacophony about?
The DSS accused Fejiro Oliver of blackmailing
government officials and corporate bodies but
they failed to supply any modicum of evidence
to support it.
Secondly, the DSS is trying to make a
mountain out of the fact that Fejiro Oliver
(Tega Sampson Oghenedoro) is a staff of the
Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). Whether
it is proper or not for him to engage in his
online media activities with Secrets Reporters,
Elombah.com or Daily Voice NG despite
working for the NTA is not in the mouth of
the Niger State Government and the DSS to
say. It is not and should never be their
business. There is absolutely no crime in this.
Fejiro Oliver to our knowledge, was already
planning his official exit from the NTA which
he has been serving meritoriously. He never
represented himself to the Secretary to the
Niger State Government, Alhaji Saidu Idris
Ndajo Kpaki and the Chief Press Secretary to
Governor Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, Mr. Israel
A. Ebije, as a staff of the NTA. He never
represented to them that his investigations
into the activities of the Niger State
Government was in pursuit of his job as a
staff of the NTA. So when did his being a staff
of the NTA became an issue to the DSS and
the Niger State Government to warrant this
shameless display of raw power?
Thirdly, we wish to let Nigerians know that the
Fejiro Oliver that the DSS is trying to portray
is totally different from the Fejiro Oliver that
we know. The Fejiro Oliver that we know is a
well educated professional, he is a father, his
wife is a professional while the father is a well
to do engineer. He comes from a disciplined
Christian family and has never been reported
to had engaged in any criminal activity. His
only misfortune is his strong passion and
determination for a sane, corrupt free and
democratic Nigeria where leaders are
accountable. This is the very driving force of
his online media activities.
On the allegation that Fejiro "blackmailed"
and "attempted to extort N50 million naira
from the Niger State Government to kill a
story", we are appalled at the level of
degeneration of the Nigerian political class
and the condescending posture of the DSS.
This allegation on the face of it is mendacious
and utterly frivolous. While we are not God to
know the inner mind of Fejiro Oliver, we dare
say that at no time did Fejiro demand for
such huge sum of money or any sum at all
from the SSG of Niger State or the Chief Press
Secretary to governor Babangida Aliyu who
are the two officials he has had
communications with after his investigations.
The decision to meet with SSG of Niger State
in Abuja, though seen by some as improper,
was made by Fejiro after persistent pressures
and assurances of his safety by the SSG who
had suggested Minna for their meeting but
which Fejiro rejected, preferring Abuja for
security reasons.
The SSG offered to pay for his air fares and
asked him to send his account details since
the meeting was at his instance but Fejiro
being who he is rejected the monetary offer.
He later gave the SSG the allowance to book
his flight which he did through one of his
aides. Nigerians should ask the SSG whether
this is true or false. He should tell us who
booked and paid for Aero flight; Asaba to
Abuja of Friday 19/09/ 2014 and Abuja to
Asaba of Monday 22/09/2014 with booking
reference-7F9CS1 and who owns the email
address 'saidunidris@yahoo.co.uk' with which
the flight details was sent to Fejiro?
Contrary to the reports that he went to collect
money from the SSG, the truth is that Fejiro's
sole purpose was to interview the SSG based
on the outcome of his extensive investigations
and discoveries which are backed by authentic
documents. The Niger State Government is not
denying this fact. They have even said they
know the person who in their opinion, leaked
those documents and that the said person has
been sacked. One of the main grouses of the
Niger State Government is the refusal by
Fejiro to reveal his source despite their
pressures, which no sane journalist should do.
The GSM text messages exchanged and calls
made between Fejiro Oliver and the SSG and
the CPS to the governor can be obtained from
service providers. Some of the said text
messages are already in the public domain by
his accusers for the whole world to see.
Fejiro never intended to meet the SSG alone in
Abuja, he was to do so in company of two
other media colleagues one of who is also an
online media publisher who was to pick him
up from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International
Airport, Abuja, but had lost contacts with
Fejiro upon his arrival, not knowing that he
had been handcuffed and whisked away to
Minna. Fejiro never thought of a clandestine
venue for their meeting. The venue he gave
the SSG is a well known public place in
Maitama, Abuja.
If actually there was a sting operation by the
DSS to nab Fejiro, it would have ended at the
point of collection of the N50M they claim he
demanded with a video record duly made as
was the case with Hon. Farouk Lawan, not at
the airport. It sounds wired to talk of
"attempting to extort" in a so-called sting
operation. It just does not make sense at all.
So far, there is no iota of evidence, not even
indirectly, supporting the allegation that
Fejiro demanded any money. That he agreed
to meet with the SSG on his plea for him to
furnish Fejiro with the government side of the
story does not make him a blackmailer.
Are the above facts which his accusers are
aware of but have not revealed consistent
with the allegation that he was going to
collect N50m? Even a primary school pupil
will ask what Fejiro, a young journalist in his
late twenties, will be demanding an
outrageous FIFTY MILLION NAIRA for? This is
a senseless accusation that can never, never
be proved.
Were Nigeria a sane country where the rule of
law reigns, the issue of a journalist going to
meet with the official of a government he has
been critical of for a face to face interview
would not have arisen in the first place. The
ongoing persecution of Fejiro Oliver for what
should have been a routine action of an
investigative journalist is a clear indictment
on the Nigerian society.
We insist that Fejiro Oliver is innocent of the
charges. We insist that it is the Niger State
Government that should be on trial for the
wastages and failures which Fejiro Oliver had
uncovered in the course of his investigations.
Fejiro in a GSM phone call on Tuesday 24
September, 2014 has informed us that offers
have been made to him on the condition that
he will drop his reports into the activities of
the Niger State Government in exchange for
his freedom but that his rejection of same
and refusal to disclose his source is the
reason for his continued incarceration.
We appreciate the efforts of the human rights
community, the media, and all spirited
Nigerians who have took it upon themselves
to stand by an innocent activist and journalist
whose right is being violated through the
abuse of a critical state institution.
We urge the DSS to focus on the security
challenges bedevilling our nation and not
allow a state government that is being
haunted by the ghost of stewardship to derail
it core mandate. The DSS should not be seen
as a ready tool that the political class is using
for vindictive aims. We demand the
immediate and unconditional release of Fejiro
Oliver.
Let it be on record that this brutal violation
of the fundamental rights of Fejiro will not go
to unchallenged. Nigeria may be a lawless
country, but it is definitely not a failed state.
The oppressors can only detain Fejiro; they
can never detain the truth.
A stitch in time saves nine.
Enough is Enough.
Inibehe Effiong (Mr)
inibehe.effiong@gmail.com

http://saharareporters.com/2014/09/27/niger-state-government-dss-stop-malicious-lies-release-fejiro-oliver-now