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| DSS ‘arrests’ Jones Abiri again |
Jones Abiri, the editor and publisher of the Weekly Source newspaper based in the Bayelsa State capital, Yenagoa, has been reportedly arrested again by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Abiri was reportedly re-arrested on Saturday at Ayabowei Plaza in Yenagoa while having a meeting with his colleagues.
“Given that Jones Abiri was previously detained by intelligence officers without access to a lawyer or his family for two years, we are deeply worried that he has once again been arrested and that his whereabouts are not known,” said Angela Quintal, Committee to Protect Journalist’s Africa program coordinator.
“We call on federal and state authorities in Nigeria to disclose where Abiri is being detained and the reasons for his arrest, and urge that they ensure that his rights are not violated yet again and that due process is respected.”
As at report time, the whereabouts of the Abiri is unknown and the DSS are yet to release a statement about the arrest.
Abiri was first arrested by the DSS in 2016 after he was accused of being the leader of the joint revolutionary council of the separatist group, Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force.
He was also accused of threatening oil companies and demanding money from them.
He was granted bail in August 2018 when an Abuja magistrate court struck out a suit against him after being held in detention for two years.
Abiri was reportedly re-arrested on Saturday at Ayabowei Plaza in Yenagoa while having a meeting with his colleagues.
“Given that Jones Abiri was previously detained by intelligence officers without access to a lawyer or his family for two years, we are deeply worried that he has once again been arrested and that his whereabouts are not known,” said Angela Quintal, Committee to Protect Journalist’s Africa program coordinator.
“We call on federal and state authorities in Nigeria to disclose where Abiri is being detained and the reasons for his arrest, and urge that they ensure that his rights are not violated yet again and that due process is respected.”
As at report time, the whereabouts of the Abiri is unknown and the DSS are yet to release a statement about the arrest.
Abiri was first arrested by the DSS in 2016 after he was accused of being the leader of the joint revolutionary council of the separatist group, Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force.
He was also accused of threatening oil companies and demanding money from them.
He was granted bail in August 2018 when an Abuja magistrate court struck out a suit against him after being held in detention for two years.
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