In a statement signed by its President, Garba Deen Muhammad, NGE also called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that authorities of Niger Republic comply with the ECOWAS Charter, which guarantees freedom of movement to all citizens of member states.
The editors’ guild said the reason stated by the Nigerien authorities for the arrest and detention of Adamu was untenable.
The NGE stated that Adamu had gone to Niger Republic to report on the situation of refugees attempting to migrate to Europe by travelling through the Sahara desert.
“It is pertinent to point out that Lawan went into Niger after obtaining necessary permit from the Nigerien consulate in Kano. Since he had valid permission to enter Niger as a journalist, the Nigerien authorities are wrong to arrest and detain him.
“The NGE, therefore, demands Adamu’s immediate and unconditional release. The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs should ensure that Niger Republic complies with the ECOWAS Charter, which, among other things, guarantees freedom of movement to all citizens of member countries,” the statement read.
NGE president recalled his experience in 2004, at the peak of the hunger crisis that hit Niger Republic, when, as the then editor of the Weekly Trust newspaper, he went to report on the crisis but ended up being arrested and deported.
“I was also issued a valid permit from the Nigerien consulate in Kano. But within 12 hours of my entry into Niger Republic I was arrested, interrogated and summarily deported to Nigeria under armed guard.
“We, therefore, call on the authorities in Niger to immediately release Mr. Adamu, apologize to him and allow him to conduct his legitimate assignmemnt without any further hindrance,” the statement added.
Tags
Featured