Madu Onuorah, the publisher and editor-in-chief of Globalupfront Newspapers, who was abducted from his residence in Lugbe, Abuja by policemen on Wednesday, has been released on bail. The management of Globalupfront Newspapers announced his release in a statement on Friday.
According to the statement, Onuorah was released on Thursday night by the Enugu State Police Command. The abduction was initially carried out by the Ebonyi Police Command, acting on a request from Enugu.
“We have confirmed the release (on bail) of our Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Madu Onuorah, who was abducted by men of the Ebonyi Police Command on Wednesday evening from his residence in Lugbe, Abuja,” the statement read. “He was released late Thursday night by the Enugu State Police Command. We are awaiting a full briefing by Mr. Onuorah and our lawyers before issuing a full statement on this matter and the next line of action.”
The management of Globalupfront Newspapers expressed their support for Onuorah and emphasized that the police station is not the appropriate venue for handling alleged defamation cases. They also thanked the journalism and media community, friends, well-wishers, and defenders of freedom of expression who rallied against what they described as “a budding tyranny.”
The abduction of Onuorah occurred around 6 p.m. on Wednesday in the presence of his wife and children. Witnesses reported that about ten fully-armed policemen stormed his residence in two Sienna buses and took him without presenting a warrant of arrest. Onuorah was kept incommunicado, with no contact allowed with his family, lawyer, or workplace.
This incident follows the recent abduction of another journalist, Daniel Ojukwu, from the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, by the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police. Ojukwu was initially detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Lagos State before being transferred to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja.
The circumstances surrounding both cases have raised concerns about press freedom and the treatment of journalists in Nigeria.