Nigerian Soldiers Torture P.M.NEWS Cameraman

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Yet-to-be identified Nigerian soldiers on Thursday arrested and tortured a photo journalist with TheNEWS/P.M.NEWS publications, Habeeb Ogunbadejo, under  the Obalende Flyover in Lagos Island, Lagos state, southwest Nigeria.

The incident happened at about 8 a.m when Ogunbadejo saw two soldiers on a motorcycle riding towards the Third Mainland bridge, a road among the 475 routes commercial motorcyclists are restricted from plying.

The photo journalist immediately snapped the two soldiers riding on the prohibited road. But unknown to him, another soldier at the scene saw him and pounced on him.

The yet-to-be identified soldier seized his camera, phones and bag with its contents.

Two other soldiers who joined their colleague took him to the road leading to passport office where he was forced to frog-jump.

“For over nine hours, I was detained by the soldiers who also carried guns. They subjected me to all manner of punishment. But the soldier who seized my properties had walked away with them,” he narrated.

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He  said after some gruelling hours of grilling, they allowed him to inform his brother, Lawal, who arrived the scene and pleaded for his release.

According to him, the soldiers then allowed his brother to call the Editor of P.M.NEWS who confirmed to them that he is a photo journalist with Independent Communication Network Limited, publishers of TheNEWS/P.M.NEWS and should be released. But the soldiers lied that the officer who could release him was not in the office yet.

He stated that the soldiers at that point called their colleague who had walked away with his camera, phones and bag, adding that when he came, he demanded for N15,000, saying that if he should take him to their barracks, he might be locked in their guard room or be declared missing.

Ogunbadejo said his brother paid the soldier the N15,000, after which he released his camera but without the memory card. He said the bag and its contents were intact.

He said his brother later called an officer at Bonny Camp, Victoria Island and narrated what happened to him. But when the officer sent a soldier to the area, the soldiers who arrested and extorted money from him had disappeared from the scene.

The phone number of the soldier used to call P.M.NEWS editor is 08181657966. After the extortion, the soldier no longer picked calls to that number.

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