The journalist reportedly published an article which "exposed the failures of the Ebonyi state government in many sectors".
A journalist, Charles Otu, who is based in Ebonyi, was allegedly assaulted inside the State Government House in Abakaliki.
Otu was said to have been beaten mercilessly on Friday, June 2, over a controversial Facebook post.
The victim is said to be a correspondent of Guardian Newspaper, and also the publisher of 'Conscience', a local newspaper
In his newspaper and on Facebook, Otu reportedly published an article which "exposed the failures of the Ebonyi state government in many sectors".
According
to a statement released by a source privy to the incident, the
journalist also critically analysed programmes and projects of the state
government in the publication.
Otu's attackers are said to be loyalists of the State Governor, David Umahi.
The statement said, "On
the 2nd of June 2017, Charles Otu went to a newspaper stand at the
popular Vanco junction, Abakaliki to see some vendors. While there, a
bus branded with the name ‘Akubaroha Youth Assembly’ – a youth
organisation initiated by the governor allegedly serving as his strong
arm – stopped in front of the newsstand and thugs carrying guns jumped
out and kidnapped him, but not after he had been beating up in the
presence of people as he was struggling to escape.
"He
was taken to the Ebonyi state government house, Abakaliki where he was
forced out of the vehicle and made to lie on the ground. Workers who
were leaving their offices as it was already past 4pm, on seeing the
state he was in began to scream and the thugs forced them out of the
gate and locked up everywhere.
"They
brought out machetes, rods and sticks and proceeded to beat him up –
over twenty of them jostling and shoving to get their turn at him. They
accused him of making a post on Facebook two days earlier x-raying the
activities of the state government and matching the failure of the
government to the inaugural speech made by Governor, Engr. David Umahi
the day he was sworn in. The said post had gone very viral and had given
the state governor some serious headache as never in the past had
anyone ever given such an analysis against the government.
"Present
with the thugs were some senior special advisers to the governor. While
the journalist was pleading for his life, they informed him that the
instruction was to kill him."
While
the thugs were taking rounds on the journalist, a top government
official was said to have contacted the police authorities in the state.
The statement further said that "the
signal was sent to the commissioner of police in Ebonyi. At the time,
calls were already coming from all parts of the country, including from
the security.
"At the time he
was being manhandled and assaulted at the Ebonyi state government house,
the news was everywhere on social media. Knowing that they’d been
discovered, the thugs got calls from those that sent them not to kill Mr
Charles Otu but to get him to write an undertaking that he was going to
move away from Ebonyi and that he would never report nor write anything
against the state government.
"One
of the thugs suggested that since the abduction of the abduction had
leaked that it was best to take him to the police and he would sign the
undertaking while at the police station.
"They
bundled him into their vehicle and ordered the journalist not to raise
his head and not to mention any of their names. At the Kpirikpiri Police
Station, they informed the police that he saw some people beating the
young man up and rescued him. "They were working in connivance with the
police, so while they were drafting their undertaking, the police asked
him to write his statement, but he was too weak to do so.
"While
this was ongoing, friends and well-wishers gathered at the police
station, demanding his rescue – it was then that the dying journalist
vomited blood and water, then passed out.
"Friends
who were at the police station snatched him from the police, and put
him in a car to be taking to the hospital but the thugs blocked the
vehicle, while the police watched without doing anything. It took a
great effort before the vehicle carrying the unconscious journalist was
able to escape and he was rushed to the emergency unit of the Federal
Teaching Hospital Abakaliki.
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