The editor of NewsDigest, an Abuja-based online medium that focus on campus journalism, Gidado Yushau has been arrested by policemen on Tuesday night and whisked away to Ilorin, Kwara state Wednesday, Daily Trust gathered.
Yushau it was learned was arrested five days after police officers in Lagos arrested one Adebowale Adekoya, a professional webmaster for NewsDigest, and taken to Kwara state Police Command.
NewsDigest editor who is the son of the publisher of PR-Nigeria Shuaib Yushau was reportedly arrested in a Gestapo-like style for publishing an investigative news story titled, “Inside Kwara factory where Indian hemp smoking is ‘legalized”.
In a telephone interview with Daily Trust on Wednesday afternoon, Gidado’s father, Shuaib Yushau said his son was arrested on Tuesday night and first taken to Wuye District Police Station, after plain-clothed Police officers stormed his residence in Abuja.
He wondered why Gidado and Adekoya were arrested for a report that was published over a year ago in May 2018, even after the organization that was the subject of the report was given time to respond before the story was published.
He said the factory, Hillcrest Agro-Allied Industry in Ilorin, is said to be owned by a former acting governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mrs Sarah Alade.
He said the report, which was published on 19 May 2018, was authored by Mr. Alfred Olufemi, an award-winning campus journalist from one of the premier universities in the country.
He said the arrest was done to discourage budding investigative reporters from doing their work, noting that Olufemi is one of the finest campus journalists who contribute to other national news outlets.
He also questioned the essence of arresting the webmaster, who he said has no control over editorial content published on the website.
Attempts to contact police spokesman, DCP Frank Mba over the issue was unsuccessful. He did not respond to phone calls and did not reply to a text message at the time of filing this report.
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