In Benue: Police release journalist arrested over 'diversion of relief items' in IDPs camp

SEMA boss had petitioned NAN over the story in question, seeking N3 billion as damages while the agency insisted on the validity of the report.

The Police have released a journalist who was arrested over a story on the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State.

The reporter, Mr Emmanuel Antswen of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), was picked up on Friday, September 22, after reporting the controversial protest at the IDPs camp at the International Market, Makurdi, the state capital.

NAN reported that the IDPs had on September 11 protested an alleged diversion of relief materials.

The Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Dr. Boniface Ortese ordered the closure of IDP camps, following persistent protest over alleged diversion of relief materials by camp officials,

Ortese said he ordered the closure because the protests have been hijacked by "hoodlums."

The SEMA boss had petitioned NAN over the story in question, seeking N3 billion as damages while the agency insisted on the validity of the report.

He had also claimed that the protests were instigated by the NAN reporter to enable him get a story to write.

Antswen was released on Saturday, September 23, at about 11 am after spending one night in the open cell at the state Criminal Investigation Department.

The chairman of the Benue State Council of Nigerian Union Journalists (NUJ) Mr. Kris Atsaka, signed the bail papers for the release of Antswen.

In a solidarity visit with the NUJ over the journalists' arrest, the Publisher of Daily Assets newspapers and a former Group Managing Director of Leadership Newspapers, Dr Cletus Akwaya, advised journalists to stand in defense of one another when in crises.

He commended the NUJ chairman for standing for his colleagues.