*Presidency moves to douse tension

For the second day running, soldiers in some parts of the country, including Minna, Niger State capital and Ibadan, Oyo State, yesterday, impounded newspapers before they went into circulation.

The Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), in a statement, condemned the action.
But the presidency said the development will not go on forever.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, said the seizure was necessary to fight the war against Boko Haram insurgency.

Reports from Minna, yesterday, said circulation vans of the Nation, Leadership and Trust  Newspapers  were intercepted at the military check point along Abuja-Suleja-Minna Road.
As it was done on Friday morning, the vehicles, drivers and their cargoes were detained.

No fewer than 20 military men also stormed the distribution centre of the newspapers beside the Obasanjo Shopping Complex around 7am and prevented the papers  from being distributed.

However, the Vanguard of Friday, intercepted along with other newspapers,  were yesterday released for distribution along with the weekend titles while the Nation, Leadership and Trust newspapers were still being held.

Other newspapers allowed  to be circulated include Tribune, Sun and This Day.

A statement by the NPAN President, Nduka Obaigbena,  yesterday, deplored the clampdown. The statement read: “Following the harassment of newspaper vendors/distributors and the seizure of large volumes of newspapers by soldiers who initially targeted the following newspapers: LEADERSHIP, DAILY TRUST, The NATION and PUNCH, but later extended the siege to all major newspapers in the country for the second day today, the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) held an emergency meeting in Abuja on June 7, 2014 with representatives of vendors and distributors and resolved as follows:

The NPAN unequivocally condemns this attack of FREE SPEECH by soldiers, in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Jos, Maiduguri, Ibadan amongst other cities, claiming to be acting on “orders”. This assault on FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION through the stoppage of distribution of newspapers is inconsistent with the values of any democratic society and the Constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria. We therefore call upon the military authorities to lift the siege immediately and call the soldiers to order.

The NPAN notes the statement issued on Thursday, June 6, by the Director Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, that newspaper distribution channels may have been infiltrated by some persons to transport “materials with grave security implications.” As citizens and businesses, we take the security of our nation very seriously, and especially condemn the continuing daily destruction of human life by a mindless, cruel and criminal insurgency. We have, at our own instance, engaged various security agencies in the past to find ways of dealing with the security challenges we all face. We shall continue to do so. It is, however, deeply troubling that a siege has been laid to the media for two straight days on a suspicion over which no one consulted the NPAN. We stand ready, able and willing to work with all relevant security agencies to ensure the integrity of the newspapers’ distribution process.

The NPAN wishes to reassure its readers, partners and the public at large, that it will continue to work to promote peace and unity in The Federal Republic of Nigeria, while defending its constitutional role to hold governments at all levels accountable.

Finally, we do not believe that given the already tense situation in the country the government or any agency acting in its name, will engage in acts that can only stifle free speech and encourage rumors to fester. We, therefore, welcome the assurances to NPAN leadership by senior security officials to end this unnecessary siege.”

Addressing journalists, yesterday, in his Asokoro office, Senior Special Assistant to the President  Okupe, who, spoke on the newspapers seizure by soldiers, said it became imperative against the backdrop that government must take  extra – ordinary steps to curtail the activities of Boko Haram.

Okupe said, “If the collective security of a country is at a risk, those charged with this responsibility have an onerous job of discharging it even if it is painful to some of us. That is why I said some sectors of the society may undergo some inconveniences so that the larger society can be safe and this is not something  that happens on a daily basis. It was not an act to clamp down on media houses.”

“While we sympathize with Media Houses which might have suffered one discomfort or the other as a result of these security checks, we assert, for the avoidance of doubt that the President has not and will never give any order capable of hampering the smooth running of any Media Organisation or harass Media practitioners in the lawful performance of their duties.

“This government will neither engage in nor encourage any acts that will constitute an assault on any Media Organisation or infringe on the Freedom of the Press.