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Another blogger arrested in Nigeria
by Scott Gilbreath ~ November 6th, 2008
Last month, Nigerian-born US-based blogger Jonathan Elendu was detained by Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) and held incommunicado for eleven days before being released without charge. Now comes news that SSS have arrested another US-based Nigerian blogger Emmanuel Emeka Asiwe, who runs HuHuOnline. Mr Asiwe is still in custody and has been held without charge for nine days.
Emmanuel Emeka Asiwe, editor of the Arlington, Mass.-based HuhuOnline, was being “questioned over matters of national security,” according to State Security Service (SSS) spokesman Kenechukwu Onyeogu. The SSS took the blogger into custody today after he arrived from the U.S., he said.
[…]
“We are concerned that Nigerian authorities are detaining journalists in an attempt to intimidate foreign-based online journalists from reporting on Nigeria,” said CPJ [Committee to Protect Journalists] Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes. “We call on President Yar’Adua to ensure that the SSS respects due process and stop these actions that undermine Nigeria’s democratic gains and harken back to the era of military rule.”
These arrests appear intended to terrorise online journalists after embarrassing photos of President Yar’Adua’s son were posted at Sahara Reporters.
Authorities confiscated Mr Elendu’s passport so, although no longer in custody, he cannot return to his home and family in Michigan. He risks immediate re-arrest if he resumes blogging.
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November 7th, 2008 at 07:04 PM
[...] ANOTHER AFRICAN blogger arrested in Nigeria …. [...]