BY TONY EDIKE

ENUGU – FIVE  newspaper vendors in Nsukka, Enugu State were arrested by the police Wednesday for selling a newspaper that published pictures of those allegedly killed by Boko Haram in Kano last weekend.

The police also impounded several newspapers which the vendors were selling at the time of arrest, saying the pictures were those of pipeline fire victims that occurred long ago.

The police said the publication was intended to incite people to emabark on violence.

But following protest by newspaper distributors in the town, other national dailies were released after several hours and retained in their custody The Scoop Newspaper which allegedly published the offensive pictures.

Sources said the Divisional Police Officer was said to have ordered his men to comb the entire town and apprehend any vendors, in possession of the said newspaper.

Five vendors namely Okwudili Nnadi, Tochukwu Onuigbo, Ugwu Stephen, Martha Agbedo, and Cynthia Chetuya were immediately arrested and detained at the station.

Martha, a nursing mother was detained along with her five months old baby.

The DPO was said to have interrogated them for circulating such a publication which he said was capable of causing “war” in the country.

Even when the vendors explained to the DPO that the newspaper was published in Lagos and was being sold across the country, he refused to set them free as he ordered his men to keep them in cell and left the station.

The source said the DPO threatened to arraign the vendors in court today as he reportedly directed that charges be prepared against them.

Some newspaper distributors at Nsukka who raised an alarm over the development yesterday, called on the state police commissioner, Danazumi Job Doma to intervene and release the vendors since, according to them, they (vendors) committed no offence by selling a national newspaper which they were not the publisher.

However, the police commissioner confirmed the arrest of the vendors when contacted yesterday but promised to order their release with a warning to media practitioners to desist from publishing inciting materials.