Newspaper vendors and distributors in the Federal Capital Territory have cried out over the confiscation of their papers and detention of their drivers by the officers and men of the Nigerian Army.
They claim that soldiers swooped down on them on Saturday morning and carted away copies of newspapers meant for distribution.
This is coming a day after the military also confiscated copies of the Leadership, Nation and Punch newspapers in different parts of the country; an action the military explained was for security reasons.
Some of the distribution centres visited by our correspondent were in Area 1 in the Garki district of the Federal Capital Territory; some of the vendor stands were indeed empty with a few bundles of newspapers on the floor.
One of the eyewitnesses who spoke to Channels TV said, “We just came this morning and found out that everywhere was locked up, military men were all around and they told us that it’s because of security, that we should go home. We had to go.”
The Chairman of the Newspaper Vendors Association, Samuel Jimoh, corroborated the report, as he said that the leader of the military team that carried out the confiscation told him that the Army had received security reports about the vendors.
He added that they alleged that based on “their search at Jos, some vendors were caught with arms.”
The Chairman Board of Trustees of the Newspapers Distributors Association, Moses Oladipo, also added that the military men alleged that some of the newspaper distributors did not have ID cards to show that they were vendors or distributors.
A Director at one of the newspaper companies, however, referred to the incident as regrettable.
“We lost several millions of Naira yesterday and the same thing is happening today without any justification from the military. It is quite strange that we will be subjected to this kind of assault from the Nigerian Army specifically.
“Really we wouldn’t know what the issues are; what I know is that on Wednesday we did publish a story that has to do with the sharing of some plots of land meant for barracks to some Army officials and possibly the military was not quite happy with that.
“So we think what is happening now is just a kind of revenge on that story. If there are other issues, we are yet to be told”, he said.
On what the issues are, the Defence Spokesman, Major-General Chris Olukolade, in a statement said that materials with grave security implications use the channel of newspaper related consignment.
According to him, the clampdown had nothing to do with content or operation of media organisations or personnel.
