Police arrest vendors for selling newspapers with news related to IPOB in Imo

The Inspector-General of Police (IG) Intelligent Response Team (IRT), on Monday, has arrested no fewer than five newspaper vendors in Owerri, Imo State capital, for allegedly promoting activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

It was gathered that the police operatives swooped on them on Monday morning at their base located at Number 5 Rotibi Street, Douglas Road, Owerri, as the circulation of the day’s newspapers was ongoing.

Other vendors and distribution agents, who ran away, told journalists that the gun-wielding police operatives accused them of circulating newspaper publications that had stories on IPOB and ESN.

According to Punch, one of the vendors who escaped the arrest said “as we were circulating our newspapers for the Monday edition, policemen putting on jackets that had IRT inscription swooped on us and started arresting us. The ones they took away were the ones that had Newspapers that had IPOB stories and the ones they said were against the government.”

The arrest also affected newspaper circulation in the state on Monday as the other vendors and distribution agents fled over the fear of being arrested.

At the Government House Roundabout in Owerri, a popular place people gather to read newspapers and analyse issues, there was anger as people fumed and called on the government to stop gagging the press.

One of them said, “Do they think that arresting vendors and distribution agents and journalists will stop us from knowing the truth? They don’t know journalists, the more you arrest them, the more they write. Journalists are very strong people. Journalists are stubborn. They are very courageous. Journalists are trained to expose the evils in society. Journalists are always on the side of the people.”

Another person said, “This administration is very clueless. Just look at the insecurity bedevilling our country; the only strength they have is to arrest newspaper vendors and distribution agents who are doing their lawful businesses. Why is it that this administration hates press freedom? Why is it that this administration does not like the truth?

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“Insurgents have taken over LGAs in Bauchi, Zamfara, Niger, and Nasarawa states and they are about entering Abuja and the only response this clueless government has is to arrest vendors and distribution agents. Very soon they will start arresting journalists, but that will not solve the problem. Government should be proactive not this petty approach.”

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Imo, Abutu Yaro, confirmed the arrest but added that the operatives were not from his command.

One of the arrested vendors, Onyebuchi Iwundu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at a police station that the IRT operatives arrested them at Rotibi Street, a popular newspaper circulation street off the Douglas Road in the early hours of Monday.

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Mr Iwundu said they were accused of circulating and promoting activities of IPOB, alleging that they were manhandled before being taken to the police station for detention.

The vendor also alleged that the operatives confiscated their papers and money, adding that they had been warned not to circulate newspapers that promote IPOB’s activities.

He listed others arrested alongside him as Isinwa Blessing, Nelson, Micheal and Sakatan.

NAN reported that the circulation manager of New Telegraph newspaper, Chuck Ugwuibe, was arrested on last week Tuesday at Banana junction Orlu and has been in police custody.

Eastern Security Network, a security arm of IPOB, appears to have a strong presence in Imo.

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