By Ugochukwu Alaribe, Umuahia

The Aba Newspapers and Magazines Distributors’ Association, Aba, Abia State, has protested what they described as the incessant harassment, intimidation, and arrest of its members by security operatives in the city.

Security agents in the city have been harassing and arresting newspaper vendors accusing them of selling pro-Biafra newspapers.

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The group, who condemned the arrest of Anthony Acho, a 77 year old vendor, by the police, threatened to embark on strike from Monday, June 6, if their member is not freed by the Police.

They explained that Acho, a hypertensive patient, has been in police detention since Saturday, May 30, 2021, when he was arrested at a newspaper stand at Ama Ogbonna, by policemen from Eziama Division.

Chairman of the Association, Ike. C. Ike, stated that all efforts made by the union and his family to bail him have proved abortive, as the policemen are demanding N100, 000, for his release.

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He said; “Our member has been in police custody since May 30, 2021 at the Eziama. This is as they have also refused to allow his family access to him and to give him his hypertensive drugs, insisting on a bail fee of N100,000, which the union and family cannot afford.”

The Association urged the Abia State Commissioner of Police and the State’s Commissioner of Information, to intervene for the release of the vendor.

They stated that the clampdown of vendors, whose responsibility is to distribute newspapers to the public, is another form of gagging the press.

Vanguard News Nigeria