Police Detains Peoples Gazette Staff Over Alleged Cyber Stalking

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has raided the Abuja head office of an online newspaper, Peoples Gazette, and arrested four its staff members: Ameedat Adeyemi, Grace Oke, Sammy Ogbu, and Justina Tayani.

A report by the online newspaper said the officers demanded to see the Managing Editor, Samuel Ogundipe, and reporter, Adefemola Akintade, over a June 23, 2022 story linking a former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd) to a cash discovery in a home of a military contractor.

In a chat with our reporter, the Managing Editor, Ogundipe, who resides outside the country, said the newspaper had made known its stand.

He added that though Adeyemi, Ogbu and Tayani (all non-editorial staff members) had been released, the police later returned to arrest an assistant managing editor, Mr. John Adenekan and was still holding Oke as at press time.

Reacting to the story on Friday, the Police PRO, FCT Police Command, DSP Josephine Adeh, said Ogundipe and Adenekan were wanted because an unnamed petitioner had complained of cyber-stalking by the online newspaper.

The PPRO also claimed that those arrested had been released on bail after taking their statements as investigation continues.

She said, “A petition was written against the duo of Samuel Ogundipe and Ademola Akintade for criminal defamation, injurious falsehood publication of news known to be false and cyber-stalking contrary to the penal code.”

She said a duly signed warrant of arrest was presented before the arrests were made.