Reports reaching Icheoku Publishing indicates that the publisher of ElenduReports, Mr Jonathan Elendu is being held in Nigeria by the Nigerian authorities. His alleged crime is exercising his fundamental rights of expression; which the Nigerian authorities insists consists of reporting very embarrassing news-story about very corrupt Nigerian prominent political "leaders". However they are not denying that his reports are true but that they are embarrassing to the Nigerian political "leaders" hence a threat to national security?. Mr. Jonathan Elendu, was also accused of sponsoring a guerrilla news agency?Mr. Jonthan Elendu is being held in solitary confinement by the State Security Service (SSS) without charge following his arrest at Nigeria's Abuja International Airport upon arrival from the United States of America, on a vacation via KLM Airline around 7.30 p.m. on Saturday 18th of October 2008. Mr Jonathan Elendu’s arrest is coming in the heels of the closure of John Momoh's Channels Television, another independent media outlet based in Lagos, because it speculated that Umaru Yar'Adua might resign the presidency because of his failing health? Icheoku says that the era of press-muzzling is back in Nigeria! What a vicious cycle?
Icheoku says that despite the war-cry of "rule of law" by the current Yar'Adua's administration, it would appear that nothing has changed from the days of the military juntas including the last ignominious Olusegun Obasanjo regime. When the Nigeria National Assembly voted down Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, little did we know that the chickens has come home to roost with another reign of press strangulation. Why would a citizen be held for reporting what is true and commonly available in the public domain, if not to silence his effort to reach out to the millions of information-deprived Nigerians whose source of information is practically restricted to the government megaphone Nigeria Television Authority and News Agency of Nigeria? If Umaru Yar'Adua is sick and it is reported, so what or does the reportage make Umaru Yar'Adua no longer deathly sick? Please give me a break! These gumbahs holding Nigeria hostage all these years since independence must be held to account. It is not a civilized act for Nigerian authorities to try to shield her leaders from the populace, including what ailment the sick Umaru Yar'Adua is suffering from! Icheoku calls on the authorities in Nigeria to release without any further delay Mr. Jonathan Elendu so that he can continue the pursuit of no-holds bare reporting he is doing; trying to educate and inform Nigerians on the foibles of her supposed leaders. Nigerian authorities are like the Ostrich which buries its head in the sand pretending to be hiding; but unbeknownst to them the whole world knows of their decrepitude and highly corrupt profile. Their reasoning is that since the Nigerian populace are ignorant of their activities, it is all well and dandy and the party can continue as an uninformed masses can do no mischief. However Icheoku affirms that this intimidation cannot work and urge Umaru Yar'Adua to reign in his henchmen and order the immediate release of Mr. Jonathan Elendu. An informed nation is an empowered nation! Hopefully, with the help of the ElenduReports of this world, the Nigerian populace will one day be empowered to engineer a real "Green Revolution" which will sweep away the old ways of doing things in Nigeria; so that Nigerians will be truly free and for Nigeria to finally be able to move forward. It happened in the Baltic States with "Orange Revolution", in Pakistan with the "Lawyers Revolution" and in Thailand with the "Peoples Revolution". The Russian Bolshevik and French Bastille are now more of historical facts!
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Christy 'Apena' Essien-Igbokwe , the wife of Jegede Shokoya of the New Masquerade and Nigeria's lady of songs is dead; she was 51years old. Although her family claimed that "brief Illness" killed her like so many Nigerians; Icheoku retorts that it was most likely AKwa Ibom voodoo and remote control that was used to arrest her. It is on record that she had fallen out with the governor of her native Akwa Ibiom State and have been having a relentless war for political turf with the governor? So who knows whether she was sacrificed to Ekpe cult or even Alusi-Okija as an offal; afterall African science is still very much alive and portent. May her soul rest in peace.
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