Abuja editor is released by police on bail

Madu Onuorah, the publisher and editor-in-chief of Globalupfront Newspapers, has been released after police abducted him from his home in Lugbe, Abuja, on Wednesday.

The administration of Globalupfront Newspapers announced Onuorah’s release in a statement on Friday.

According to his management, the Enugu State Police Command freed him on bail on Thursday night.

The statement read, “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 22/5/2024 evening from his residence in Lugbe, Abuja.

“He was released late Thursday, 23/5/2024, night by Enugu State Police Command who requested the Ebonyi Police to abduct him for them. 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.

“We solidly stand by our Editor-in-Chief and the harmless story we published. We insist the police station is not a court of law where alleged defamation cases are tried. We want to thank the Journalism and Media family, friends and well-wishers, and all defenders of freedom of expression who rose against a budding tyranny.”

Onuorah was taken away by security personnel at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, in the presence of his wife and children, according to management.

According to information obtained by PUNCH Online, the editor was taken into custody without producing an arrest warrant after around ten heavily armed police officers broke into his home in Lugbe, Abuja, using two Sienna buses. Since then, he has not been in contact with his family, attorney, or place of employment.

His kidnapping occurred just 21 days after the Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team kidnapped Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism.

Ojukwu was eventually moved to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja after being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, in Lagos State.