BY Abdulwahab  Abdulah

Two rights groups, yesterday, lamented the continued detention of two journalists in Bayelsa State, despite their deteriorating health conditions.

The groups, Journalists For Democratic Rights, JODER and Nigerian Human Rights Community, NHRC, at a joint press briefing on alleged increase in human rights violations in the state, said that as the new year celebration approaches, some Nigerians, including the journalists, will spend their holiday behind bars on the order of the state government.

The groups, in a statement read by Samuel Olorunwa, alleged that the journalists, Tonye Okio, a social media practitioner and Melford Esinte, were arrested at different times. He said that Okio was arrested in his Abuja home and had to spend the Christmas in detention on the directive of the state government.

He said that Okio was abducted from his residence and was detained under harsh and dehumanising conditions, adding that the experience he went through made him to fall sick.
According to the group, armed men invaded  Okio’s Abuja home on October 26, 2013 and whisked him away on the accusation that he published a rumour on the social media platform, insinuating that a serving South-South governor was arrested in the United States in connection with financial crime involving $5 million.

He alleged that “Mr. Okio was abducted from his Abuja residence by agents of Bayelsa State governor. He is in prison where he is being subjected to deliberately harsh and dehumanising conditions. Currently, due to the kind of food Okio has been fed with, he is weak, malnourished and may die unless urgent action was taken to save this Nigerian citizen. We insist that he should be released  now. Tomorrow may be too late.

“The victim, Okio, spent Christmas in detention with hardened criminals, denied access to his family. He will spend the  new year in prison where he has been detained.  As we stand before you today (yesterday), in freedom, a fellow Nigerian is suffering unimaginable political persecution.”

The second journalist, Mr. Esinte, according to them was arrested on two occasions for his facebook postings.