Madu Onuorah, publisher and editor-in-chief of Globalupfront Newspapers, was released on bail Thursday night following his abduction by police from his residence in Lugbe, Abuja, on Wednesday. This development was confirmed by the management of Globalupfront Newspapers in a statement issued Friday.
Onuorah was taken into custody by officers from the Ebonyi Police Command, who were acting on behalf of the Enugu State Police Command. He was released by the Enugu police late Thursday night.
“We confirm the release of our Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Madu Onuorah, who was abducted by Ebonyi Police Command officers 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 await a full briefing from Mr. Onuorah and our lawyers before issuing a comprehensive statement on this matter and our next steps.”
The newspaper’s management reaffirmed their support for Onuorah, stating that alleged defamation cases should be handled in court, not at a police station. They expressed gratitude to the journalism and media community, friends, well-wishers, and defenders of freedom of expression who opposed what they termed “a budding tyranny.”
Onuorah was taken by around ten armed policemen who arrived in two Sienna buses at approximately 6 p.m. Wednesday, in the presence of his wife and children. Eyewitnesses reported that the officers did not present a warrant of arrest and that Onuorah was held incommunicado, without access to his family, lawyer, or colleagues.
This incident comes just 21 days after Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, was similarly abducted by the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police. Ojukwu was initially held at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Lagos State before being transferred to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja.
These recent events have sparked concerns about press freedom and the treatment of journalists in Nigeria.