Police Asked Me To Implicate Bukola Saraki – Premium Times Journalist, Ogundipe

Agency ReporterAugust 18, 2018

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A Premium Times journalist, Samuel Ogundipe, who has been detained by the Nigerian Police Force since Tuesday has revealed damming details of his interrogation at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

Ogundipe, while giving account of his 3-day agonising stay in police dungeon alleged that his interrogators had asked him to implicate the Senate President as the source of what the Police described as ‘classified’ documents as a precondition to his release from cell.

“There is nothing under the sun that they didn’t do to me to reveal the identity of my source. From psychological to real physical torture, I came directly close to real police brutality in Nigeria.”

“When it seemed that I wouldn’t bulge, they then decided to cajole me into roping the Senate President, Bukola Saraki in the saga. They said I would be released the moment I wrote in my statement that it was through Saraki’s aides that I got the Police Report.”

“Even my excuse that the documents weren’t sourced directly me but by my company, the PremiumTimes, they didn’t want to have any of it.”

Mr Ogundipe had been held since Tuesday for refusing to disclose his source for a story. The story, also published by other news media, revealed a report by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo. The report indicted sacked Director General of the State Security Service (SSS) Lawal Daura for his role in the siege on the National Assembly last week.

Mr Ogundipe’s detention has been condemned by Nigerians, local and international rights groups including Amnesty International and Committee to Protect Journalists.