The management of The Whistler, an Abuja-based national newspaper, has demanded the release of its female reporter, Kasarachi Aniagolu, who was reportedly arrested in Wuse 4 by police operatives in the Federal Capital Territory on Wednesday.
The newspaper expressed its demands in a statement provided to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.
The reporter was allegedly forcefully taken into custody, along with over 95 forex traders in the Wuse Zone 4 area of the FCT, while monitoring a raid on Bureau de Change operators by an unidentified police unit in the FCT.
According to The Whistler, the journalist sent WhatsApp messages raising the alarm of her arrest at 1:17 pm. She was quoted as saying, "I have been arrested, and I am at the SARS headquarters (FCT Anti-violence Crime Unit). I was arrested for recording the raid on the Bureau de Change guys.
"Please, I need help; these people have dealt with me. Please let everyone know that they were picking up Bureau de Change operators, and I was about to video them.
"They hit my phone, and I picked it up. They confiscated my laptop, and they are parading me like a criminal gang. They hit me and broke my ID pouch. Told me I will be killed and nothing will happen."
The Whistler strongly condemned the "unlawful arrest, assault, and ongoing detention" of Aniagolu by the police. Despite identifying herself as a journalist, she was reportedly manhandled, threatened, and had her equipment confiscated.
The newspaper stated, "The physical assault and threats to her life are utterly unacceptable and a direct attack on independent journalism."
The Whistler demanded the immediate release of Ms. Aniagolu and an apology from the Nigeria Police Force leadership. They also called for a transparent investigation into her arrest, assault, and detention, with those responsible held accountable.
