The presenters of a breakfast show “Sunrise Daily” on Channels Television, Chambalain Usor and Kayode Okikiolu, as well as Maope Ogun, have left the National Broadcasting Commission’s office in Abuja after being queried by the commission.
The crew were seen on Thursday leaving the corporate head office of the commission located inside the Presidential Villa at about 6:30pm.
The journalists were in high spirits after the meeting and thanked Nigerians for their support.
When prodded by journalists if they would report back to the commission, they said the regulatory body had asked them to go and that they would get back to them.
Meanwhile, human rights’ activist, Omoyele Sowore, and the National President, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Chris Isiguzor, were also at the commission in solidarity with the journalists and in defence of free speech.
On his part, the NUJ President said he was at the commission to get the details of the matter.
He said, “We came here and we met with the NBC Director-General and our colleagues. They are just having a meeting and after that, all of them will go. There is no cause for alarm.”
He said it was a conference discussion and nothing to worry about.
Recall that the NBC had on Tuesday in a letter signed by the commission’s Director-General, Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, summoned the television station following the utterances made by the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom who was a guests to the programme on Tuesday morning.
However, the statements of a former Nigerian Navy officer, Commodore Kunle Olawunmi (retd.) in the same programme on Wednesday might have added salt to injury, hence the invitation of the trio.
Olawunmi had said Boko Haram terrorists mentioned names of current governors, senators and Aso Rock officials as sponsors during interrogation by the military authorities.
He, however, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s government failed to demonstrate the necessary political will to go after the high-profile politicians for reasons best known to it.
Olawunmi, a professor of Global Security Studies, said he was a member of the Intelligence Brief at Defence Headquarters during the leadership of the then Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin (retd.)
According to him, the government had not been able to prosecute the sponsors because it was allegedly partisan.
He added that the Department of State Services had tremendous information on terrorists but they could not do anything except by the body language of the Commander-In-Chief.
[SaharaReporters]
