Soldiers Invade The Nation Offices, Seize Vehicles, Newspapers

                                                                        

 

Odogwuemekaodogwu.com yesterday morning reported that soldiers impounded several vehicles conveying The Nation Newspapers to various stations in the South-South and other parts of the country.

A van conveying the day’s newspapers to Warri and Benin City was seized by soldiers of the 3 Battalion of the Nigerian Army at Okwuokoko, Delta State.
Similarly, a detachment of troops stormed The Nation’s circulation depot located on Effurun, Sapele in search of the newspapers and the company’s staff.
A source at the Effurun Barracks told our reporter that the troops were acting on “orders from above.”
It was further learnt that troops also invaded the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Benin in a similar mission to seize Friday’s edition of the paper.
Our correspondent in Benin, Mr. Ben Ogbemudia, said, “as I text you they have laid ambush in Benin waiting for the company’s newspapers.”

odogwuemekaodogwu.com wonders what must be in this Newspaper that Military men are after it to seize the copies before it enters the market?

Meanwhile ,Odogwuemekaodogwu.com reports that Defence Headquarters had ordered a clampdown on the movement of newspaper circulation vans in some parts of the country.

The directive which was allegedly given through an “an order from above” caught most of the newspapers in the FCT unawares as heavily armed soldiers waylaid the vans around the Area 1 Road, commanding the drivers to unload.

The same scenario occurred in Benin/Warri Road, Port Harcourt, Kaduna/Kano Road and Nasarawa/Jos Road.

As at the time of going to press, one of the newspaper distribution managers told our correspondent that they have been ordered to load back the newspapers pending when a superior directive is given to allow them move to various distribution centres.

He said: “We were surprised that our distribution van was stopped by heavily armed security men around Area 1 junction at about 5.05am. Other distribution vans were later stopped and we were all directed to unload. One of the military men told us that they were acting on order from above as there were allegations that newspaper circulation vehicles were being used to smuggle arms and ammunition.

“We were there for over  two hours with practically all the newspapers printing in Abuja unable to get to the distribution centres while the head of the military team told us that he was waiting for a superior directive to release us.”

Efforts to speak with the Director of Defence Information, Brig.Gen. Chris Olukolade, proved abortive as all his lines were switched off as at the time of doing this report.